Temporarily Technicality
by Addicted to Dreams
Summary: AU: So far nothing in this town Fran moved to has been normal and the school is no exception. The teachers are crazy, the students bring weapons to school, and everyone is collectively hiding something. This school year is going to be out of this world!
1. When In Rome You're Not In Japan

**Author's Note- **This fanfic is going to have almost all the Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Characters. I might have gone a little overboard and paired everyone with someone. If you want to know who is paired with who you'll just have to read but this is a BelphegorxFran story.

**Warning- **Some pairings may be slightly inappropriate because it's a teacher and student relationship.

**Warning- **There may be strong language

**Warning- **There are adult themes in this story.

**Warning- **Fran might be slightly out of character because he's such a minor character it was hard for me to do research on him.

**Warning- **This is an alternate universe so please remember that as you read.

**Disclaimer- **I do not own any of the Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Characters or Namimori Middle School.

When In Rome… You're Not in Japan

Saying I loathe my life right now would be an understatement. This is the third time this year that my family has moved. My family is just made up of just me and my dad. I hate moving. I could care less if I ever saw my friends again and considering how much I really didn't know them I have to wonder if I can actually call them friends. I most certainly am not going to miss the view of my neighbor's bathroom that I had from my old bedroom, I'm still trying to block out the images. Why do I hate moving? I have to pack all my stuff into boxes just to have to unload them a couple of days later in another house. It is ridicules! The whole idea of moving is ridicules! It's all my father's fault, he likes traveling to help give him ideas. He's a grocery store employee by day and a writer by night. Those ideas are for whatever harebrained story he's working on. Currently he trying to write a novel, it'll be his first one, and hence the new scenery.

"So what do you think?" Dad asked me, he was standing on the lawn admiring our new home. Another reason I abhor moving is because my mind over uses and abuses words like 'new' and 'hate'.

I unbuckled my seatbelt begrudgingly, we go through this every time I swear, and got out of our car making sure not to slam the door even though I wanted to. "It's nothing to brag about, but we've lived in worse."

"Don't say that Frannie," My dad gave me his one hundred watt smile which made this whole situation feel gauche, didn't help that he called me Frannie. Is a nickname supposed to be longer than one's actual name? Dad continued, "Come on I'm sure you have more of an opinion than that!"

"It's bigger than the last one," I tried but it really didn't matter to me. A home is a home no matter where you live and it doesn't matter what it's like as long as it can support your way of life. Also I'm only concerned about my room because it will be where I spend most of my time.

"Yup, and this one has a backyard." Dad stuffed his hands into his jean pockets and sighed contently. "I've always had this dream of me barbequing in a backyard while you swim in a pool."

"I don't like swimming," I reminded my dad. "Besides, you can't cook."

"Yeah," My dad mumbled allowing the dream to slip away. "So is the size all you noticed?"

"The window's have shutters that are cracked, the front door looks like a dog attacked it, I can't see the roof but I see tiles shattered by the garage, and the lawn is the same color as ramen." My dad frowned, realizing his mistake in asking me what I noticed. "It looks old and it needs a new coat of paint."

"Well I guess it does need a little work, but that's the fun part! We can work on it together, father and son, side by side." My dad put his hand on my shoulder and pulled me closer.

"Yeah, fun." The lack of enthusiasm in my voice was overlooked.

Just then the moving van pulled up, it was pretty small considering it held all our worldly possessions. The driver was a rather large man, he towered over my dad who was no small fry, and the two began to unpack everything. Dad turned around, remembering me, "You can go inside and take a look around. The door's unlocked."

Is it really safe to leave the door unlocked? What if some hobo went inside because they needed a place to sleep? I had to wonder how my dad could be so careless; I must have gotten my commonsense from mom. The door's knob squeaked when I opened it and I automatically winced. I hate sharp noises like that; they messed with the nerves in my head. I swung the door open and looked inside.

The space where the living room should be looked old and empty, I hadn't been expecting anything else really, so there was no disappointment. The dining room branched off from the living room straight ahead and I assumed the kitchen was somewhere after that. My destination was the bedrooms. I located the stairs behind a door and made my way upstairs. There were four doors. By a tedious process of elimination I discovered that there were three bedrooms and one bathroom.

The master bedroom I left for my dad, I didn't need that much space anyways. That left my choices with a bedroom that was large but had a window facing our neighbor's house, or a smaller room that faced the street. I did not want a repeat of last time so I choose the smaller of the two.

"So pick your room yet?" Dad asked from behind me, he was carrying one of the boxes that had my name on it.

"Yeah," I pointed to the room and before he could ask me what I thought of it I supplied, "It's a dump."

"Like I said we can fix it up." He set the box down by my door and wiped his brow. "We'll be coming up with your bed next so can you do something with this?"

I nodded my head and waited for him to disappear back down the stairs before examining the box. It was full of everything I owned that wasn't clothes, bedding, or furniture. A few wall posters that dad got me for my birthday a few years back that I didn't have the heart to throw away. Along with those were a couple of books I liked and one that my mother gave me when I was a child. My hand brushed against something fuzzy and my face dropped. I pulled it out of the box to confirm what I already knew. It was that god-awful, digesting, most reprehensible, abomination! Just looking at the backpack made the bile in my stomach churn. It was a green and yellow frog backpack with large plastic eyes that my father bought me and made me take to school every single year_. Every single year! _I tried getting rid of it before but some good Samaritan just had to turn it into the police who were more than kind enough to return it to me. Why couldn't people mind their own business? I told dad I didn't like it but for some sick reason he keeps making me use it. He said it looked cute on me, but I am 14, and 14 year olds do not wear froggy backpacks to school!

I heard dad and the mover guy coming up so I tossed the frog into the box and dragged it away from the door. Dad's face was red, he wasn't very strong. "Here you go Frannie. Where do you want it?"

That was a good question. I had been so wrapped up in showering my backpack with murderous intent that I hadn't even given it a thought. "Just set it down and I'll move it."

"You sure?" Dad looked relieved when they sat the bed down. "This thing is heavy."

"Yeah I'm sure." The mover guy shrugged and left the room. He seemed to be a man of few words. Dad patted me on the back, "I'll get the desk and your trashcan up here in a jiffy."

Who uses the word jiffy? I looked at him with dubiousness, "Are you sure? Maybe you should leave it to the professional."

"Nonsense." He laughed then walked away trying to act like his back didn't hurt. Yup nonsense is precisely the word I would use to describe my dad. No matter what sort of horrible grotesque stuffed frog backpack he tried to force on me I'll still love him, resent him a little, but love him.

6-6-6

"The dirty deed is done," I sighed as I stared up at my ceiling, my back against the floor.

"It only took 5 hours, 2 snack breaks, and 1 mental breakdown but we did it." Dad was sitting on the couch; his head tilted back, his arms stretched out. I couldn't see his face but I assumed he had his eyes closed. His chestnut brown hair was probably sticking to the leather because of all the sweat in it. I got my looks from mom.

"I still have my room to do." I said absently, I was in no hurry to work on it.

"Sorry about that," Dad apologized. "Thanks for neglecting your room to help me with the rest of the house. It looks nice."

"You're joking right?" There was a spider crawling across the wall. Not like there weren't bugs in our last home but this spider was huge. I rolled onto my side so I no longer had to look at it.

"So what do you want for diner?" Dad lifted his head long enough to make eye contact with me.

"Are you cooking?" I tried not to imagine all the things that could be on the hardwood floor of the living room.

Dad hesitated, "Well I was planning on it."

"With what food?" I lifted myself up and had to brush the green hairs from my face. Stupid static electricity. "If I recall we just moved in. I don't know about you but I didn't see any food in the fridge."

"You're right." Dad sat up straight and ran a hand through his hair. "Well that could be a problem."

I tried not to point out the fact that I'm usually right, but instead opted to say, "Want me to go shopping?"

"Would you? While you're at it I want you to buy school supplies for tomorrow. Also get something for breakfast." Dad said it casually, trying to not make a big deal about it.

"What did you say?" My usual calm tone changed to one of more surprised anger. "School? I start school tomorrow?"

"Well Frannie," Dad waved his hands in front of him. "The school year starts tomorrow and you have to go. No son of mine gets to skip, and I would if I could, but I have no time to home school you."

I blinked. This sucks. This… this really sucks! "You'll have to give me the money."

Dad observed how my voice was back to monotone and quickly fished his wallet out of his back pocket. He handed me a wad of cash. "Here you go."

I left the house after pulling on my brown button up jacket. It was something my aunt sent me, she made it herself, and the back and sides of the jacket was longer than the front. If you ask me it looked weird because the longer part went all the way down to my knees, but it kept me warm. It took me a few minutes after I was several blocks away from our new home to remember some very important things that had slipped my mind. For starters I don't know where I am, where I'm going, or how to get back. I didn't know where to buy food or school supplies, I hadn't memorized my new address, and I was lost.

"Great…" I sighed. This was not my day. If only there was someone I could ask for directions.

"Hello there, you seem lost, are you?"

I turned around and saw the body to the voice. The man had a green Mohawk; he wore red sunglasses that made it impossible to see his eyes, and his outfit sported feathers. "Are you a pedophile?"

"What? Me?" The man looked hurt. "I'm no pedophile in fact-. Hey why are you walking away when I'm talking to you?"

I was hoping he wouldn't notice my retreating form. I turned around to tell him off when I noticed he was a lot closer than he was a moment ago. He's fast.

"Look, my name is Lassuria and I'm the drama teacher at Namimori Middle School. I am no pedophile!" Lassuria held out his hand for me to shake but I ignored it.

"That's what a pedophile would say," I pointed out.

"True but I'm not." The grown man pouted. "Besides I don't like girls so you have no reason to worry!"

I didn't feel like pointing out the fact that I was a guy.

"So are you lost?" The Lassuria fellow pressed.

"Can you tell me where the nearest grocery store is?"

After getting the directions from the pedophile I managed to find myself standing outside a yellow painted building. The sign told me it was the Stop and Shop Store. Oh the irony. The store I had been looking for is the same one my dad would start working at in a few days. I pushed the door open and took a look around. There was annoying music playing in the background, a bored looking teen behind each checkout aisle, and row upon row of merchandise.

I thought it would be best if I got my school supplies first so I headed down aisle 5 which was labeled above Office Supplies. I got there and blinked. "What in the world?"

On the shelves were bath supplies like sponges, shampoo, and towels. One of the store employees was walking by and I hailed her. "Excuse me?"

The women looked over at me and smiled. "May I help you?"

"Uh yeah," I pointed to the sign. "It says this is supposed to be office supplies."

"Yes it does," The lady kept her smile on.

"Well where are the office supplies?" I deadpanned.

"In aisle 5." She replied instantly.

I didn't seem to be getting through to her but I tried anyways. "This is aisle 5. I don't see any paper, pens, pencils, or staplers. I think the sign is wrong. Can you tell me where I can go to find office supplies?"

"In aisle 5." The lady was really getting on my nerves.

"Okay look if you're not going to be helpful I'll find it on my own. Thanks for nothing." I started walking away, looking down every aisle.

"If you're not careful you'll get lost," The lady called after me.

Yeah right. This store was only so big, only a kid could get lost in a place like this. I held back an eye roll and continued walking. Not may people were in the store, no wonder with the crappy service, but seriously the place was completely empty. I got the feeling I was the only one shopping. I like being by myself, I admit, but it was a little eerie. I brushed my uneasy feeling aside and continued looking down aisles. I found the food section of the store and decided my school supplies would have to wait.

What did I want to eat for diner? Anything as long as it wasn't spicy. I grabbed a bag of rice then realized that I hadn't grabbed a basket when I came into the store. Great. With the bag in hand I made my way back to the store front and grabbed a blue basket and placed the rice inside. "Now back to get the ingredients for my Omuraisu."

Talking to myself was probably a desperate cry for human companionship but I like to think I've always been this far off the rocker of sanity. I began making my way back when I realized something was different. It was like as I had my back turned the entire store was rearranged and I was now facing an aisle full of cold drinks where it should have had cereals. Seriously what the hell was going on?

"You must be new here," I turned around to see a small boy who looked around my age. He had brown hair that stood in the air and calming brown eyes. The boy laughed nervously.

"How did you know that?" I wasn't impressed.

"You seem lost." The boy explained.

"I'm not lost." I stated firmly.

"Oh…" The boy shuffled his feet. "Well if you need help I would be glad to help you find something."

I relented. I'm not a very proud person after all. "Can you tell me where I can find the eggs?"

"Sure, follow me." The boy stared walking in the complete opposite direction I had been going in. Go figure. We walked past several aisles before he stopped. "Here they are."

I grabbed the ones I wanted and placed them beside the rice. The boy also showed me where to get gravy sauce so the meal could be complete. "Thanks."

"No problem." The boy smiled at me nervously. He looked at the clock on the walls and gasped. "Oh no I'm late!"

The boy was gone before I had a chance to blink. He was fast like how that pedophile was. Now that I had my food the only problem was my school supplies. Once again I continued to explore the store and much to my dismay I still found nothing. Giving up I walked up to a male cashier. "Excuse me but can you tell me where I can fine the office supplies?"

The guy turned around and smiled. Did everyone love to smile in this town or was it just me? He thought about it for a moment then replied, "Yeah they're in aisle 5."

I wanted to hit my head on something, like a wall, but instead an idea came to me. "Where are the bath supplies?"

"Aisle 26." The guy said before turning around and continuing reading his magazine.

It was just an idea but if the people here thought bath supplies was office supplies then they might think office supplies was bath supplies. When in Rome do as the Romans right? Then again if I was in Rome I wouldn't be here in Japan having this dilemma.

It was there just as I thought it might be. There wasn't much of a selection left and to my disdain a lot of the supplies was imprinted with little frog faces, they must have been avoided like the plague because there were so many of them left. I wanted to get sick. I didn't know what I needed for school so I just guessed. I was able to find blue and red pens but the only pencils left were green and covered in frogs. The notebooks I found weren't much better. They had a frog in a pond on a lily pad with a crown on its head. I couldn't believe this. It was like the world was out to get me. I sighed. I hate frogs, I really do.

I paid for everything and was quick to get out of there. Now to conquer my next problem, getting home…

_To be continued… _

**Author's Note- **Thank you so much for reading the first chapter to Temporarily Technicality. Reviews will encourage me to write the next chapter and readers are loved!


	2. Omen in the Omuraisu

Omen in the Omuraisu

How I managed to find my house I'll never know. I vaguely recall seeing similar houses, a yard with a swing set, an annoying barking dog, and went by those landmarks to drag my sorry self home. I looked inside the bag while I stood in the driveway, everything seemed okay. I was surprised the eggs hadn't broken. I opened the front door to see my dad still sitting on the couch. I had to have been gone for at least a couple of hours; I must get my laziness from him.

"Frannie you're back?" Dad looked at the grocery bags. "Need help with that?"

"No thanks." I said, stone faced. I continued to the kitchen. There was a pantry by the fridge. The thing was huge but currently empty. All the appliances were new as was the sink. The cabinets were made of real wood, and the floor wasn't white, it was sandy colored. All that is the reason dad bought this house. For a man who can't cook it's a little ironic for him to be so concerned with the kitchen. Dad says a kitchen is the heart of a home and reflects on the rest of the house. I say a kitchen is the place where dad can unconsciously become a pyromaniac. I've eaten so much charcoal in my life I don't think I'll live to be 20.

"You sure?" Dad followed behind me, like a little kid wanting to help their parents but really they're just in the way. I could have used help when leaving the store but now it was pretty pointless. I'm glad the heaviest thing was the rice, because I'm not a very strong person.

"Yeah dad." I sat the bags onto the counter and began putting things away.

"What's this?" Dad grabbed one of the notebooks. "It's cute! It matches your backpack."

"And oddly enough I want to burn both." I realized I never bought anything for breakfast, I blame the store. We'll have to eat leftovers, I figured.

"You don't mean that," Dad laughed. He has such a warm laugh. It starts at the bottom of his belly and works its way up. I can't laugh. Well I don't laugh. "So what took you so long? I was beginning to get worried."

I grabbed the notebook away from him. I would never tell my father I got lost, that would just give him future reasons not to let me do stuff. "That grocery store was on crack."

"What store?" Dad looked at me amused. He didn't seem to be buying what I was saying. I have no proof that the store, or any of its employees was taking drugs, but how else do you explain the anomalous behavior?

"The Stop and Shop Store." I shoved the notebook back into the bag with all my other school supplies.

"The same one I start working at tomorrow? Fran, we're living here from now on. I know it'll take awhile for you to get used to this place, but give it a chance." Why do parents always come to the wrong conclusion? Then when you try to set them straight they still think they're right. Why do kids bother trying to say otherwise? It's futile.

"I didn't lie about the store being screwy, and I don't appreciate you assuming you understand something you clearly don't." I grabbed my bag and began walking away. I didn't feel like arguing with my dad. Even though my arguing points are always sound my opinions and facts are brushed off because I'm "just a kid".

"Fran don't leave when we're talking, this is important." Dad only calls me by my real name, Fran, when he's serious.

"I'm done talking."

"Fran," Dad's warning voice. If I don't want to get into trouble I'll turn around and talk to him. What's the worse he could do to me though? Ground me? At the moment that was looking pretty good. It would give me a reason not to leave my home except for school. "If you don't stop right now I'll drive you to school tomorrow."

I stopped in my tracks. "What about work?"

"I don't start until 9, I'd have plenty of time to get you there."

Crap. I turned around. "I don't have issues with living here."

"Fran, I know moving around a lot is hard on you." Dad was looking guilty, it made me feel bad. Dad has a lot to worry about. I didn't need to be on that list of worries.

"Where we live is not the problem, that store was seriously messed up." I shifted my feet. "You not believing me hurt, but you don't need to go by my word, tomorrow ask where the bath supplies is and you'll see."

"So we're okay?" Dad doesn't like arguing either, most of the time he loses, so he was looking relieved. He is like a big kid but when it comes to things he thinks is a delicate parental issue he suddenly grows up.

"Are you driving me to school tomorrow?" I would just die if anyone at school ever saw our car. I really don't care what people think of me, other's opinions don't matter, but I would rather blend in then stick out. I don't want to be noticed. If people see me and acknowledge me then I exist in their world and I would much rather remain an illusion at the edge of their vision. Our car would ruin all that for me. To miss our car you would have to be blind, and Namimori Middle School was not a school for the blind. We had a black Mitsuoka that had a custom paint job to make it look like a giant black frog. It looks like it's smiling. Dad calls it his Frog mobile, I think that's childish. My mom loved frogs and whenever dad sees a frog he's reminded of her, it's like she's here with us. I guess that's why I put up with it, why I have that child's book The Frog Prince that my mother gave me.

"Not unless you want me to."

"Don't." I said automatically. "I'm going to go work on my room."

"I'll fix dinner." Dad said. He looked around the kitchen. "Hey Frannie-"

"In the cabinet to your right."

"Thanks!"

I walked upstairs, purposely hitting the bag against each step. I would use the stuff but I didn't have to like it. When I got to my room I sighed. It was a disaster. The bed was still in the middle of the room. I needed to do something about that. I dropped the bag by my box of stuff and took off my jacket. After rolling up my sleeves I was ready. I braced my foot on the floor and used my body weight to move the bed parallel to the wall with the window, and then I pushed the bed against said wall. Now I could look out the window while I was in my bed. I looked over my shoulder at the desk. My room wasn't that big so the only place with a plug-in was at the foot of my bed. I pushed my desk at the end of my bed, facing the wall. With everything on one wall it made my room seem empty, but there was really no helping that. My trashcan was too fat to go by my desk so I had to put it by my closet. I spent the next half hour putting all my clothes on a hanger and into my closet. For the things that couldn't be hung up, like socks and my boxers, they went into a tiny dresser that was built-in. I opened up another box, this one held my bedding. With little to no effort I dressed my bed. I'm happy to report I did not have froggy bedding; instead I had purple sheets and a black comforter.

"Frannie, dinner time!" Dad, that lazy bum, called from downstairs. He's lucky I have good hearing. I got off my bed and made my way back to the kitchen.

"Something smells…" I said as soon as I got a whiff of the air. "What died?"

"Frannie!" Dad chided, "It doesn't smell that bad."

I sat down at our table, it is square like our family, and dad sat a plate in front of me. My nose wrinkled. I watched dad sit across from me and take a bite. "It's good."

"You're immune to your cooking." I jabbed the rice, it jiggled. That's not supposed to happen. "Do you have the antidote?"

"Just eat it," Dad said exasperated, he was already stuffing his mouth again.

Only because I didn't want it to get up and walk away did I take a bite. As I chewed it and the gravy stuck to the roof of my mouth like peanut butter, another thing that wasn't suppose to happen, I couldn't help but think of it as an ill omen. What did the future have in store for me…?

_To be continued… _

**Author's Note- **Thank you so much for the reviews, they made me want to write! Next chapter is Fran's first day of school! We get to meet Fran's teachers, fellow students, and the notorious Belphegor. I'm working on it right now, so the wait shouldn't be too long.


	3. Saved by the Bel

**Author's Note- **While reading this chapter you may notice that this school does not follow normal Japanese way of doing things. I'm sorry if this upsets you but for this story it had to be done. Any questions or comments you have on the way I did things feel free to add it to your review. Thanks for reading!

Saved by the Bel

I woke up. I don't remember falling asleep but I know it had to happen because last time I looked at the clock it read 11:23 and now it read 7:12. 7:12? The bus comes at 7:20. Crap I'm going to be late! I jumped out of bed pushing my covers to a heap on the floor. I stopped in my mad dash to momentarily wonder why my alarm that I set for 6:30 didn't go off but then realized I didn't have time for that. I grabbed my school uniform out of my closest; the one dad gave to me after dinner as a sort of surprise, and began to change into it. The pants were black as was the tie, the shirt was white and the jacket was black. I ran a brush through my hair and much to my relief there were no knots. Once I was dressed and had my backpack from hell in hand I raced down the stairs. It didn't appear that dad was awake. I looked at the clock that hung lopsided on the wall, 7:16. I had no time for breakfast and no time to do anything!

I slung my backpack over my shoulder, last night I put everything inside it so it would be ready, and made my way to the bus stop. I didn't see any other kids, which made me happy. I am not a people person. There was a heavy cloud cover, it might rain later. I wasn't waiting long before the bus came. It stopped in front of me and the doors opened.

"I see we have a new face this year," The bus driver was a man who looked unpleasant in more ways than one. He had short greasy hair, fat that fell off the seat, eyes that were calculating, and he constantly wetted his lips with his tongue. Yup, just your typical bus driver. "Well take a seat."

What else was I going to do? I mean really, why tell me to do the obvious? I ignored the man's ignorance and looked down the rows. There was no lack of empty seats but I was more curious of the seats that were occupied. I counted 5 other people as I sat down. None of them stood out to me. Plain people. I scooted closer to the window and watched house by house pass by.

School starts at 8 o'clock so I knew the ride couldn't take too long, but it sure could be as boring as brushing your teeth, something I skipped this morning. I think watching a dog chase it's tail would be more entertaining than this.

"Morning Ginger Bread," The bus driver said cheerfully to a blond haired boy who just got on the bus.

"I told you, you dolt, my name is not Ginger Bread!" The boy stomped his foot. "Why do people continue to call me that?"

"Well after your gingerbread won first place at that competition-"

"I don't care! That was last year. This is this year, enough with the nickname." The boy finally sat down in the back. I guess I wasn't the only one with a shitty nickname.

When we arrived at the school I made sure I would be the last one off the bus, that way less people saw my backpack, though I didn't see how I could hide it forever.

"Have a good day at school." The bus driver called. I swear I wanted to punch the man in the nose but I'm not one to act on impulses. I got off the last step, the snap of the bus doors closing was like a finality.

Walking into Namimori Middle School grounds was like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, the entire atmosphere felt strange. I felt strange. It wasn't excitement to be starting a new school year; I've done it plenty of times before, but something else. I think it was the school itself, it gave off an odd vibe. There was only one way to test my theory. I took a step back so I now stood on the outside of the gate. The feeling was gone. What is with this school? I stepped inside the school ground again and the feeling returned. I repeat the procedure multiple times until I hit something from behind.

"What are you doing herbivore?" I turned around to see who I backed into. The boy had black hair, black eyes, and I couldn't see it but I also assumed a black soul. He looked nonchalant but angry at the same time. "If you don't get to class I'll bite you to death."

"School hasn't started yet." I pointed out, not even bothering to ask him to clarify what he meant by bite me to death. I looked at his expression and swallowed nervously. "On second thought, I think I'll go to class."

I scuffled away quickly. That guy's type of scary I didn't feel like dealing with this morning, or any morning after this. Or ever for that matter.

"Hibari, that wasn't very nice of you." The English teacher Dino came to stand by his student.

"Quiet or I'll bite _you _to death."

I walked into the school. I didn't even know what my classes were so my first stop would be the office. I got to the tiny room but no one seemed to be present. "Excuse me?"

No answer.

Impatiently I tried again, "Excuse me?"

"Yes?" A man with white hair and an amusing smile leaned up against the desk on the other side. "Does one of my little students need help?"

I blinked. "I need my class schedule."

"Oh?" The man grabbed a piece of paper off the desk, never even opening his eyes, and handed me it. "I believe that's what you were looking for."

The paper had my name on it, "How did you know?"

"I know things," He shrugged. "Also a man called me this morning to inform me that his little Frannie would be needing to know his classes."

Oh god. Dad. Why?

"I'm Principle Byakuran. It's nice to meet you Frannie!" The man chuckled at my discomfort.

"Byakuran!" A man with long black hair tied into a braid and a red pacifier around his neck walked into the office. He was holding onto folders and wore a look of irritation. "You needed to sign these like an hour ago, where have you been?"

"Here and there," Byakuran swiveled around in his chair to look at the other. "Don't get your underwear in a bunch, Fon, I was helping a student."

"What student?" Both looked out of the office to see there was no one there.

"Strange, where did Frannie go?" Byakuran pouted.

"Enough messing around, you're the principle, you should start acting like one." Fon hit Byakuran over the head with the folders. "Now start signing them!"

I was glad I got out of there when I did. If that was really the principle, and I doubted that, then this school was more messed up than I first thought. As I walked to the footlockers I looked at my classes. I have English as homeroom with Reborn. I'm good at writing so that class should be a breeze. Second period is Home Economics with Binachi. I guess it's a good thing if I learn how to cook because I won't survive on dad's cooking for much longer. Third period is Electronics with Spanner, not a class I would have picked for myself but because I signed up so late they put me in wherever they could. I have fourth period Math with Xanxus, I hate math but I'm pretty good at it. Then there's lunch. My stomach growled at the thought of food. Tomorrow I was not skipping breakfast. My fifth period class is Biology with Viper. Biology? They must have bumped me up a class because I'm so good at science because I thought students in 8th grade took a normal science class. I looked at my last class, Physical Education with Colonnello. I sighed. It was going to be a long school year. There was a small map of the school that was at the bottom of my schedule so I would be able to find all my classes.

I got to the footlockers without casualty. My footlocker number was? I looked down at the paper to check it. I blinked. 666. Did the school even have that many students? I was walking around like an idiot trying to find the number when I got to the last locker. Number 666. Great. I looked beside it and the number was 345. How does that add up? I tried the combination and the tiny door opened up. I slipped off my shoes and replaced them with the ones already placed inside for me. I shut the door and was about to put on my indoor shoes when I felt a tug on my backpack.

"What's this? A little froggy escaped the biology room? I better save Viper sensei the trouble and cut it up." A menacing voice chuckled. I didn't need to be psychic to feel the killing intent emitted at my back.

"Don't you mean dissect?" I tried to ignore the continuous tugging sensation but my backpack's straps were really digging into my arms. How annoying.

"No, I mean _cut_, _dice_, _chop_, _slice, hack, slash, lacerate, tear, rip, cleave, smite_." The emphasis on each word didn't go unnoticed by me and after each one there was an even harder tug on my frog.

"Can you stop that?" I dropped my left shoe and fit my foot into it.

"Why don't you say please and we'll see?"

"Please?" Even to my ears that didn't sound very convincing and sincere. I dropped my right shoe in hopes of being able to put it on as well but that hope died when I felt the footlockers slam into my back. Or my back slammed into the footlockers. I don't think it matters which. This was the first time I got a look at my attacker. He had blond hair that was messy and long enough to cover his eyes. On top of his head he wore a silver crown that sat lopsided. His smile I might have considered beautiful if it wasn't attached to such a sinister face. This guy was a different type of scary than the one from before, this one looked like he enjoys the pain he inflicts. A psychopath.

"Shi shi shi, there I stopped." He loomed over me all menacing like; the difference in our heights was now made apparent. "I see you're not a froggy but just an un-cute kohai, how disappointing."

I didn't say anything. If I don't do anything maybe he'll go away?

"So, ugly kohai, what's your name?"

"I'd rather not say." I deadpanned.

"A lowly peasant is refusing to tell me his name, this calls for a sever punishment." The blond pulled out a scalpel. It looked like it belonged in a science laboratory. He then positioned it at the base of my neck. "Only because I'm such a merciful Prince will I ask you again."

"Are you serious?" I could hardly believe this guy was merciful, I mean he just pulled out a scalpel and was threatening me with it.

"Do I look like I'm joking?" He pressed the blade against my neck even harder. I couldn't tell if it had pierced through skin yet or not.

"It's hard to tell because you're smiling." I tried to move my head away but his hand was fast and followed. "I also think it's not fair if I just tell you who I am without knowing who you are."

"I am Prince Belphegor," He moved the scalpel to under my chin, cutting my flesh along the way, and raised my head with it so we were now face to face. "And my un-cute kohai's name?"

"Fran." I figure it's better to tell him so he'll leave before I get more cut up. I could feel the blood starting to pool out of the wound. If I get blood on my uniform I'll be pissed. "Can you move now fake prince?"

"Don't add the word fake," Belphegor pulled the scalpel away, making a motion to slash as my uniform when the school bell rang. He regarded the ceiling with spite I didn't understand, and then he turned back to me. He picked up my right shoe from off the floor and with a flourish only a Prince would have began walking away. Over his shoulder he called, "I'll be taking this as a souvenir of our encounter."

"That's my shoe though, I need that!" My shout was wasted for Belphegor was already gone. I looked down at my feet. This was not good. I had to get to class though. "Argh, stupid fake prince!"

6-6-6

I made my way to homeroom; my one shoeless foot's sock slipping on the tiles the whole way. I opened the class room and stepped inside just as the tardy bell rang. The teacher was sitting on the corner of his desk in a casual manner. He wore a black suit, a fedora, and a yellow pacifier around his neck. He turned to face me, "Ciaossu. You were almost late, that's unacceptable. If this happens again it will demand retribution. Take a seat so we can begin class."

I scanned the rows of seats filled with children and spotted one that was empty. It was in the second row second seat from the window. I tried not feeling embarrassed as I made my way to it. I quickly slung my backpack under the desk and sat down. If I was lucky no one saw it. I looked around. Everyone was staring at me.

"Ah it's you!" A semi familiar voice said.

I looked up to see a boy with brown hair, "Do I know you?"

The boy shook his head no, "We met yesterday, in that store. I'm Tsunayoshi Sawada, my friends call me Tsuna."

"Hello Tsunayoshi." I said. I remember him now. He's the one who helped me find the ingredients for our dinner last night.

"Just call me Tsuna." Tsuna insisted.

"I'm Fran." I said as way of introduction.

"I'm Hayato Gokudera!" The boy in front of me with silver hair turned around to talk to me. "Any friend of the tenth's is a friend of mine."

"I'm Takeshi Yamamoto," The boy on my left said. He seemed calm compared to Hayato.

"I'm Kyoko." The girl on my right introduced herself.

These people, they all seemed really nice, and happy. They were all smiling at me as if expecting something. They already knew each other. They were friends. It kind of made me feel left out. "Nice to meet you."

Kyoko pulled out a handkerchief from her bag and handed it to me. "For your neck, it looks like it's bleeding."

"Thank you." I held the cloth to me neck and pulled it away. Yup it was bleeding, but not very badly. "I'll return it to you after washing it."

"Enough talking," Reborn spoke over the soft buzz of noise. "I'm Reborn. It's the first day of school so I thought we would have some fun. We're going to play a learning game. If you answer wrong there will be a penalty." Reborn pulled out a gun from his jacket. "Ready?"

Reborn started asking his students questions about grammar, spelling, even math or science. I watched as each student after answering the question looked relieved. It was just a squirt gun, what was the big deal? My eyes connected with Reborn's and I knew I was next.

"Fran, what socialist writer's last words were 'Last words are for fools who haven't said enough.'?

"Karl Marx." I said, pulling the information from the depths of my mind. I'm not sure how I knew it. I guess I was really into my history. Thanks to dad we had lots of history books at home, somewhere in a box that we were too lazy to unpack.

"Correct." Reborn turned to the girl beside me. "Kyoko, what pro sport gives its participant an 87% chance of suffering brain damage?"

Kyoko's face lit up, "I know this one, because my brother plays it. It's boxing!"

"Correct."

"Of course, so that explains it." Hayato mumbled under his breath. I managed to hear him but didn't understand what he meant by it.

"Tsuna," Said student looked nervous. "What is the minimum number of musicians a band must have to be considered a big band?"

"Umm…" Tsuna looked at his fingers for help. I don't think they were any.

"Time is up." Reborn announced.

"We're being timed?" Hayato protested.

"New rule. If you take more then five seconds it's the same as getting the answer wrong." Reborn pointed his gun at Tsuna and fired.

I was surprised that it sounded like a real gun.

Hayato quickly knocked Tsuna out of his seat and they both fell to the floor.

"You can not escape my bullets." Reborn fired again.

Hayato tipped Tsuna's desk on its side to form some type of barricade. Really it was quite a sight to see the two hiding behind the desk. It seemed I wasn't the only one to think that, Yamamoto began laughing seconds later.

"This isn't funny baseball freak." Hayato growled. "He could have killed the tenth."

I reminded myself to ask Hayato later why he called Tsuna the tenth.

"Takeshi," Reborn turned his attention to the laughing teen. I thought it was strange that he called us by our first names or our last names, almost as if he didn't care. "What occurred in the Atacama Desert for the first time in 400 years in 1971?"

Yamamoto blinked. "I'm not sure, what?"

"Rain," Reborn said as he fired his gun. I didn't see what was fired but I did see Hayato pull Yamamoto's foot so he slid under his desk just in time so he wasn't hit.

Our teacher was out for blood!

"Hayato, since you want to interfere so badly it's your turn." Reborn informed his student.

"Bring it on." Hayato said confidently even though he was hiding behind the desk still. It made me wonder whether or not he was a good student.

"What type of leaves were botanists shocked to find in the stuffing inside the mummified remains of Pharaoh Ramses the second?"

"Tobacco leaves."

"What three-letter word denotes the residue of combustion or incineration?"

"Ash."

"What are you forbidden to do in a snuff zone?"

"Smoke."

"What's the most common contributor to chronic bronchitis?"

"Smoking." Hayato suddenly stood up from behind Tsuna's desk. "Are you trying to say something?"

"I don't think it's healthy for students to smoke." Reborn said, true concern in his voice, as he pointed a gun to his student's head. "You answered them all correctly though, benissimo."

"Fran, would you like another question, you seem bored just sitting there." Reborn smiled under his hat.

"Do I have a choice?" I didn't really want to play this so called game anymore.

"It's good training." Reborn stated. I took it as a no. "What's one-tenth of a bel?"

Bel. Did he just say bel? I knew the answer. I know I knew the answer, but whenever I tried to think of it, I got the image of the stupid fake prince in my head. Curse him!

"You don't know?" Reborn looked surprised. "I'll give you another chance. What office image transmitter did Bell Labs demonstrate as early as 1924?"

There was that word Bel again. I tried to think, I really did, but the possibility of two of Reborn's questions having bel in it? What are the chances? I heard the gun being fired before I saw it. I didn't move as a bullet came at me. When it passed I looked at myself. I was okay, but there was a bullet hole though the back of my jacket just between my arm and side. I poked my finger through it to make sure I wasn't just seeing things. I wasn't. That was a real bullet. The teacher was really shooting at his students. My god what kind of school did dad put me in?

"Darn I missed," Reborn cocked his gun.

He missed. He missed? He hit me in the jacket, which was not a miss!

The school bell rang signaling the end of homeroom.

6-6-6

I was quick to get out of the classroom, not even bothering to say goodbye to the people I just met. It wasn't until I was in my other classroom that I remembered I left my backpack behind.

"Hey Fran, you left this!" Hayato came up behind me with my frog in hand. "You were so quick to get out of there."

"You didn't have to come all this way to give it to me," I said as I squeezed the frog's head, loathing it all the more.

"I have this class too!" Hayato sat down and waved me over. I guess I would have no trouble finding a seat.

"So why did you pick this class?" Hayato asked me once I was sitting down.

"I didn't, not really, but I think it'll be good if I learn how to cook." I sighed, thinking about food made me so hungry. "Why are _you _in this class? I wouldn't peg you for a guy who's into all this homemaking stuff."

"I didn't do this willingly, my half sister made me." Hayato gave off an involuntary shiver.

"Your half sister?" I inquired. There weren't that many girls in the classroom and none of them had silver hair or looked anything like Hayato.

"Hello class, welcome to home economics, I'll be your teacher for this semester. Please, everyone, call me Binachi." The woman was beautiful, tall, and elegant. She wore safety goggles on her face and had her hair up in a bun. I could feel Hayato slouch down in his chair beside me. "I want you guys to get into groups of 4 or 5. These will be your permanent groups so chose wisely."

Lovely, more interacting with people. I really hate school. I looked over at Hayato, "Is something wrong?"

"That's her," Hayato shuddered. "I still can't believe they hired her to teach this class. I don't think they've ever tried her cooking."

"She can't cook?" I tried not to think how she and my dad were alike. "I'm sure it can't be that bad."

"Did you guys not find a group yet?" Binachi was suddenly beside our table.

Hayato seemed paralyzed so I answered for us, "No, not yet."

"Well everyone else has already found a group, except for a select few, so you're automatically in their group." Bianchi walked away revealing two very unwilling people and a third who seemed happy-go-lucky.

"I don't want to be here," Sighed a boy who looked familiar. It took me a moment but I realized he was that gingerbread person from this morning's bus ride. "Just don't drag me down."

"Ooo how unfriendly of you," A boy with bluish purple looking hair and two different colored eyes laughed. "Besides that you stole what I was going to say!"

"Mukuro Rokudo," Hayato lifted his head from off the desk.

"Hayato Gokudera," Mukuro greeted. "Just because we're no longer in rival schools doesn't mean you have to be nice to us."

"I wasn't." Hayato pointed out.

I could really feel the tension in the air. It was like a storm was brewing.

"I want everyone to write your names down on a piece of paper and pass it up." Binachi called.

Ginger pulled out a piece of paper and began taking names. "Okay what are they?"

"Hayato."

"Fran."

"Mukuro."

"Chikusa."

Ginger wrote them all down and turned the paper in for us.

"Because today is the first day I thought we could do something special. We're going to make cookies. I've already baked some to show you, they should be done now." Binachi walked over to one of the many ovens that lined her classroom walls. She pulled out a cookie sheet and brought it to the front of the class so everyone could see. The cookies looked awful from where I was sitting, and I wouldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it, but the cookies melted through the cookie sheet and plopped onto the counter. Smoke came billowing up and suddenly the sprinklers were going off as an alarm sounded.

"Everyone please evacuate the classroom." Bianchi said it as if she was talking about the weather.

"Not again." Ginger sighed. "She does this every year."

We all filled out of the room as Binachi turned off the alarm. No one else was leaving their classroom so I expected what Ginger said was true and that they all knew this was coming. Binachi joined us in the hall. "Because of the large amounts of smoke in the classroom, and because everything is now wet, what say we take a sort of fieldtrip to the school's kitchen?"

I wouldn't exactly call it a fieldtrip, we didn't leave the building, but stepping into that kitchen was something else. The first thing I noticed was all the noise. The dishwashers were going, as was the ovens, and everything was spotless from not being used for so long. I bet in a few days the place would be a total wreck though.

"I'm telling you Xanxus wants beef today," A man with long white hair who was wearing a long black coat was arguing with a woman who looked like she worked in the kitchen. The hairnet was a dead giveaway. "If he doesn't get his meat then he's going to take it out on the students. Do you really want to be responsible for sending so many people to the nurse's office?"

The lady rolled her eyes. "Fine Squalo, we'll cook beef today. If Xanxus is going to be so picky he should bring his own lunch to school."

"As if that'll ever happen, if anything he would make me cook it for him." Squalo turned around and finally noticed our class was staring at him. "Binachi, so that alarm was you?"

"Yes." Binachi smiled. "You don't teach leadership right now do you?"

"No." Squalo folded his arms across his chest. The motion revealed that he was wearing a sword on his belt. Are teachers allowed to bring swords to school? Better yet are they allowed to bring guns? "Would you like to bake cookies with us?" Bianchi offered to the man.

"Like hell I would want to do something like that!" Squalo stormed out of the kitchen mumbling something under his breath.

"Class, let's help the kitchen staff bake cookies for today's lunch." Binachi announced. She handed everyone an apron, myself included. We also got hairnets which made us all look funny. We stood around a large table with cookie dough already there for us.

"We don't usually allow students in our kitchen but because it's the first day, go wild." The lunch lady laughed.

Hayato was beside me busily pounding the dough. I wasn't certain but I was pretty sure he was a better cook than his sister. I decided to focus on my own cookies. I flattened the ball of dough I had been rolling around in my hand with a rolling pin. I made a large circle, then placed two smaller circles above it and pushed the dough between the two small circles down. I was making a frog. The dough I used was sugar cookie and I added chocolate chips to the little circles to make pupils. I found a container with red sprinkles and placed them on the lower half of my cookie to make a mouth.

"It's cute," Hayato commented. "You must really like frogs."

I had been working on another cookie when he said it. I balled my hands into fists, the dough squeezed between my fingers. "I like frogs?"

"Well there's your backpack, your pencil, and your cookie. I just thought…" Hayato trailed off.

"I loath frogs with _every _fiber of my being." I slammed the dough onto the table. "The only reason I made my cookie into a frog is because I want it to _suffer. _First it'll go onto the cookie pan where it'll then go into the oven. Once in the oven it'll bake at a 350 degrees Fahrenheit. The heat will be like slow torture. When it's done baking it'll then be devoured, being chomped to tiny bits and pieces, where it'll move down to the stomach and the acids there will finish what's left of it off."

Hayato looked at me, slightly disturbed, as did the rest of the class. "You might want to see someone about that issue you have with frogs…"

"Sorry," I said as I repositioned my face to its norm.

"Everyone, class is almost over. Place your finished cookies onto one of the pans and head back to class to collect your things." Binachi talked over everyone.

I had managed to only make one cookie but that was enough. I placed it on one of the pans, took off my apron and hairnet, and left the kitchen. The walk back was pretty nice, most of the class was scattered. I think I left Hayato behind. Oh well.

I got back to the classroom. The smoke was gone but everything was still wet. I went back to the table and picked up my frog from underneath. It managed to stay dry because of that. Other students were coming back to claim their belongings when the bell rang.

6-6-6

I pulled out my schedule to see where I was heading next. Electronics. I found the room without hazard. I got laughed at a few times in the hall because of my missing shoe. I walked into the room to see a whole bunch of parts laying around, and tables lining the walls.

I sat down near the door. I figure if something happens it'll be good to be close to an exit.

I was busy stabbing the eyeball of my froggy backpack with my froggy pencil, something that gave me a small bit of pleasure, when the chair beside me moved.

"Hello Fran," It was Tsuna's voice.

"Hello." I looked over at the boy. He seemed to be in good spirits. Did no one but me think this school was insane? Guess not.

The tardy bell rang.

"I am Spanner." A man who I hadn't noticed up until now spoke. He wore a green jumpsuit with blue cuffs. He had blond hair that had a large curl on the upper left side. In his mouth was a sucker stick and he talked around it. "This class is electronics. We'll be working with circuits, switches, wires, and such."

Spanner looked uncomfortable in front of the class, even though there were few students. He grabbed a stack of papers from off the floor and began passing them around. He got to our table and stopped. He and Tsuna made eye contact right before Spanner pulled out a sucker from one of the jumpsuit's pockets, "Would you like one?"

"Sure?" Tsuna accepted the candy.

Spanner, as an afterthought, looked over at me. "Would you also like one?"

"No." I said rather bluntly. The man shrugged, handed us each a paper, and went back to the front of the class.

"Sorry I'm late," A boy with messy black hair and a cow print tie, either that or it had bleach spots on it, walked into the room. He had one eye closed and his hands stuffed into his pockets.

"Ah Lambo," Spanner greeted him. "Glad you could make it to class."

Lambo sat down, bowing his head in apology along the way.

"Okay now back to-" Spanner began.

"Sorry to interrupt," The man from earlier, Fon I think, came bursting into the room. "Spanner we need you in the office."

"Oh?"

"Bring your tool belt." Fon advised. "Byakuran broke the school's master printer and now it's shooting out blank pages all over the office floor."

Spanner grabbed his tools and secured them around his waist. "Everyone behave while I'm gone."

"Thanks Spanner," Fon followed him out. His voice could be heard down the hall. "I told him not to touch it!"

Tsuna fidgeted around in his seat. I took a look at the paper Spanner gave me. It was a list of class rules and safety rules. A lot of them made sense, like wearing goggles while working, using gloves and a protective apron. Others, not so much. What's this about no food while working unless it's a sucker? A good ten minutes passed and I was really bored. Tsuna got up to throw his sucker's wrapper away. I watched him make his was across the classroom. All of a sudden he tripped.

"Ha ha, No-Good Tsuna!" I heard a couple of students laugh at him. I felt bad for the kid.

Tsuna picked himself up and seemed to notice that he tripped over a cord. He picked it up and plugged it back into a socket. Spanner returned just as Tsuna did so. Along the wall a giant robot came to life. Its eyes glowed and it made odd noises. Spanner looked surprised, his mouth went slack and his sucker fell to the ground. The robot lifted its arm, looking as if it was ready to attack.

"Tsuna!" Spanner was quicker than the robot and tackled Tsuna out of the way as some type of energy beam was fired. There was now a rather large hole in the wall of our classroom. Spanner got up and quickly removed the plug from the wall. "If you plug it in it will charge right up, normally it doesn't need to borrow from the school's power though. You need to be more careful, didn't you read the rules?"

Now rule number 11 made sense, it said never to plug in any unplugged cords. Go figure.

"Tsuna?" Spanner looked at the ground to see the unconscious boy.

I got up out of my seat to check on him. Tsuna was out cold.

Spanner sighed. "I better take him to the nurse's. Fran, will you help me with the doors?"

Spanner scooped Tsuna up into his arms and I opened the door. Before we left the classroom Spanner looked down at his sucker, mourning its loss. We walked in relative silence. The only sound was out feet against the floor, and my one sock. Spanner noticed I was missing a shoe but didn't comment. I was really starting to like this teacher. He was simple, and funny to watch. We got to the nurse's office and I opened the door for him.

"Dr. Shamal, there was an accident, could you take a look at this student?" Spanner asked, walking into the tiny room.

"Let's see." The man stood up and brushed his black hair out of his face. He looked at Tsuna. "No."

"Why not?" Spanner seemed puzzled.

"It's a boy, I don't treat boys." Shamal sat back down.

Spanner looked at Tsuna who hadn't woken up yet. "Is there something wrong with him being a boy? Is it something in the wiring?"

Wow this guy really needed to get out more. Maybe see some humans? I tried not to laugh, which was easy for me because I don't laugh, but it was still funny.

"Can I at least set him down on the bed?" Spanner finally asked.

"Sure, whatever, I don't care." Shamal waved him off.

Spanner walked over to the other side of the room, a white curtain divided it in half, and placed Tsuna down on a sheet less bed. Spanner looked back at me. I had followed him inside without thinking. "If you want to stay here for the rest of the class period to wait with your friend you're going to have to do me a favor."

Of course. Nothing in life is free. I didn't want to go back to class and be bored. "Like what?"

Spanner leaned in to whisper in my ear. "I know for a fact Dr. Shamal has a rare flavor of lollipops he keeps for his female patients. I want one. If you can get him to give you one then I'll let you stay."

I looked over my shoulder at the doctor, and just how was I going to do that?

I walked over to where the man was reading a magazine. From the looks of it the magazine was a perverted one. "Um Dr. Shamal?"

"Hm, what do you want?" He didn't even look at me.

"Can I have a lollipop?" I out right asked. No use beating around the bush.

"No." He said quickly. He looked up from his magazine, "Look kid-"

Doctor Shamal looked at me, I mean really looked at me. There were a few uncomfortable minutes where he didn't say anything, just stared. Finally he placed his hand on his chin and spoke, "Are you a girl disguised as a boy?"

What did he think this was some manga romance comedy? I mean really? The man sounded so serious though. "Uh… yes?"

Whatever it takes to get a sucker.

The man handed me a sucker that was orange and blue in color. I wondered what it tasted like. I grabbed the candy and was ready to return to Spanner when I noticed the change in the doctor. He cleared his throat, "Would you like to go out for dinner sometime?"

"Huh?" I blinked. "I'm a student!" "Age doesn't matter when it comes to love."

"Drop dead." I walked back over to Spanner before the man got any ideas. I handed the blond the candy. He had it in his mouth before I could blink.

"You can stay."

I pulled up a chair and together we waited for Tsuna to wake up.

"So what's with that robot?" I finally asked.

"It's not just any robot, it's a Moska." Spanner spoke with pride. I'm guessing he made it himself. "I've been working on King Mosca for years now; he's in the basement of my home right now."

This guy's hobbies scared me. His Moska blew a hole through a wall. If he wanted to I'm sure he could take over the world with those things, but he seemed too nice of a guy for something like that.

The bell rang signaling the end of third period.

6-6-6

"You should get to class, I'll watch over Tsuna since I don't have a class next period."

I didn't argue with Spanner and left him to it. I managed to find the class again without the help of my map and grabbed my frog. I noticed Tsuna's bag and made a trip back to the nurse's room to leave it with Spanner.

"Next I have math…" I mumbled to myself as I weaved my way through other students. I got to the room but what I heard on the inside was frightening. Objects were being thrown about, and then there was yelling. That was the last straw. I've had it with this school. I've had it with the teachers, and the students. If I staid in this school any longer I was going to get killed!

The tardy bell rang but it didn't matter to me, I was getting out. I tried the front doors but oddly enough they were locked. I tried a couple of other exits but still no luck. Schools were supposed to keep people out, not the students in. I finally found a door that wasn't locked. It opened up to some area in the back of the school. I could live with that. I slipped off my shoe and socks and put them into the frog, I didn't want to waste time going to get my regular shoes.

I was heading in the direction I hoped was the gate, my backpack on my back, everything was fine. That was until I ran into _him_. "Hello Bel-senpai. Did your hair grow? Either way I like the old style better."

"Did you just call me Bel, as in Belphegor my twin?" The boy, who looked exactly like Bel but for the fact that his hair was straight, stopped leaning against the school's wall to regard me. "I am _King _Rasiel."

I was having a hard time believing this. For some reason I thought it was Bel playing a trick on me. Why he would? I don't know. I suppose it's not uncommon to find twins. I finally decided to accept it.

"I don't like people mistaking me for my brother." Rasiel pulled out a switchblade from his pants pocket. This situation seemed very familiar. It was an experience I shared this morning with the "King's" twin, Belphegor.

Rasiel's hand moved closer, I went to doge it and didn't see the kick coming. The kick landed in the side of my stomach. I stumbled over but managed to save myself from falling. I didn't have time to balance myself out before I felt his hand grab my shoulder and was roughly jerked back. "You're my prey therefore there is no escape for you."

The blade came down and I raised my hands to my face. I felt the cold metal cut across the palms of my hands. Rasiel let go of my shoulder just to replace it with a fist in my gut. I gasped out because of the pain. I felt tears gathering at the corners of my eyes. This was not good. Rasiel backed away, most likely to land another kick, I took that as a chance to get away. My feet felt clumsy on the ground but I ran as if my life depended on it, which it did.

"Hey get back here!" Rasiel gave chase, much to my displeasure.

I turned one of the corners of the school, heading in whatever direction was away from Rasiel. I was so focused on the ground I didn't notice the obstacle in my path. Suddenly I was in contact with something solid. God I hoped it wasn't a wall. I looked up through my green bangs which had fallen into my face, "Ouch."

"You should watch where you're going, frog."

It was Bel-senpai. Standing between two maniacs was like picking one's own poison.

"What happened to you, not that I care or anything."

"There you are!" Rasiel caught up.

"Jill?" Bel looked slightly annoyed at his twin. "Just what are _you _doing to the frog?"

"Frog? Do you mean him?" Rasiel pointed his switchblade in my direction. "Why brother, what is he to you?"

"An un-cute kohai." Bel shoved me aside, after that he said, "Don't get in my way, frog."

I might have retorted but I silently observed the fact that in Bel's act of rudeness he managed to push me behind him. I'm not sure if it was on purpose or not, but I had to admit I felt better. Safer? No. A little better? Yes. As the two threw insults at each other I took a look at my hands. The cut could have been deeper though how it was now I would have trouble writing later. I used my fingers to fish out the handkerchief Kyoko gave me earlier. I would have to buy her a new one. I used the cloth like I did last time, pressing it against the wounds. I looked up just in time to see Bel-senpai throwing scalpels at his twin. Where did he get so many? Rasiel was also throwing knifes back at Bel-senpai.

"Is that all you've got Jill?" Bel mocked.

"You are weaker than me and will never beat me; your sad attempt makes me laugh."

Bel lunged at Jill taking them both down. Their brawl stirred up so much dust I couldn't see them. It was like something out of an anime. Rasiel finally picked himself up off the ground and made a quick get away around the corner. From what I could tell he had had the upper hand, so why did he run away?

"Enjoying yourselves?" Byakuran's voice sounded from behind me. Both Bel and I turned to see the principal standing there, smiling like an idiot.

"Tch." Bel picked himself up. "I guess the jig is up."

"Shame on you two, ditching classes on the first day." Byakuran shook his head in disappointment. "You know what else starts with a D? Detention, which you two will be having tomorrow after school. Now get back to class before the Discipline Committee catches you."

In a daze I made my way back to the door I had snuck out of. Bel was moments behind me. Inside I took out my socks and put them back on along with my one shoe.

"I left history for that?" Bel was mumbling to himself.

"Oooooh~ That was close~ Thank you~ senpai." I said, now walking behind Bel.

"Don't say thanks, frog." Bel looked over his shoulder at me. "If anyone's going to kill you it's going to be me."

"That makes me feel _so _much better." I realized my sarcasm wasn't at its fullest. I needed to work on that.

"Shi shi shi," Bel was already at his classroom. "Don't get killed un-cute kohai."

"Hm? What does Bel-senpai mean by that?" I blankly stared at him.

"You have math this period with Xanxus, right?"

"Yeah."

"Shi shi shi," He laughed as he walked through the door.

I wonder what he meant by that? My class was clear on the other side of the school. As I walked I also questioned how in the world did Bel know what class I was going to? I never mention it to him! I let the thought go as I entered my class. It was not only a disaster but the other students looked afraid. I could see why. The teacher was scary looking! He had burns on his face along with a scowl.

"Well look who it is." Xanxus glared at me. "You look like crap. Are you being picked on by bullies? Ah whatever. Take a seat before you piss me off."

I took a window seat in the back. Class was almost over so it wasn't worth coming back to. I looked out the window. Looking into the windows of other classrooms I saw other kids who were as bored looking as I. It was when I was staring off into space that I discovered one of those students was Bel-senpai himself. Hmm… math might not be so bad after all. That class period ended on a bright note.

6-6-6

I got in the lunch line before a good half of the school. When I was done getting my food I looked at the cookie on my tray, it looked normal, not one made by students. It didn't matter to me. The cafeteria was filled with wooden round tables with metal chairs pushed in under them. The floor was covered in white tiles that would make it easy for the janitor to clean up.

"Hey there Fran," Hayato came up on my left. The boy Yamamoto came up on my right.

"Hello…"

"You should come over and sit with us!" Hayato directed me over to a very crowded table at the back of the cafeteria.

It was chaos. I saw Tsuna sitting by a boy who was talking about boxing. It was good to see that Tsuna was alright after what happened. Then there was Kyoko who was sitting by a girl with brown hair and another with long black hair. From snips of their conversation I could tell they were talking about how their first day had been so far. There was that guy, Lambo I think it was, who was fiddling with some electronic device. There were others though. There was a beautiful girl with braided hair. She was stirring her ramen noodles. There was a kid with a really large book, and another who was fussing over him.

"Futa stop reading at the table, thou thinks you're going to get food on it."

"But I just got to the good part!"

Hayato and Yamamoto sat down beside Tsuna. I'm guessing the noise was normal with them. I was about to walk away, maybe to find a table in a more quiet area, when Hayato pulled me down beside him. "No need to be shy."

"Trust me I'm not."

"Hello Fran," Tsuna leaned over the table so he could see me.

"How are you feeling?" I asked.

"Oh that?" Tsuna looked embarrassed, I felt bad for bringing it up. "I'm fine now. Spanner waited for me to wake up. He said you also waited for me. Thank you."

I ate my meal in silence after that. Listening to them talk was very interesting. I learned that the brunette is named Haru. She's very smart and used to go to an elite school until it burned down. The other girl who was with Kyoko is named Hana. The third girl is named I-Pin. She works at a Chinese Restaurant to save up money for college. The boxing maniac who over uses the catch phrase 'to the extreme', is Kyoko's older brother Ryohei. The other two were Futa and Basilicum, but he likes to go by Basil. There was a very wide range of different types of people sitting at one table.

After dumping my tray I had no desire to go back to the table. Nice people but I needed space from all the, whatever it was that they were. I walked into the hall. I'm not sure what I was planning to do but I never got a chance to do it.

"Froggy." Bel-senpai came over to me from out of nowhere. Creepy how he did that.

"Bel-senpai."

"There I was, in the cafeteria eating my lunch, but all I could think about was you." Bel showed me what was in his hand. It was the frog cookie I had made earlier. "Can you guess why?"

"I made that in home economics." I stared at it. Why do frogs always come back to haunt me?

"Really?" Bel looked at the cookie thoughtfully. "I would much rather eat the real thing."

"A frog?" I wouldn't put it passed him.

"No, idiot-"

"Bel!" Bel was cut off.

"Lussuria, Levi." Bel greeted the two teachers.

"Hey it's the kid from before." Lussuria, yeah I recognized him, looked at me. "I see you're not a girl!"

"Thanks for noticing."

"But yesterday I thought…" Lussuria paused, unsure of himself.

"If you want help checking," The other man, who by process of elimination had to be Levi said, eyeing me purposely.

"Old pervert." I turned to Bel-senpai. "I can see why they would be your friends."

"Hahaha you're so funny!" Lussuria laughed.

"They are not my friends," Bel frowned. "Say that again and I'll kill you."

"What did you just call me!" Levi yelled, he seemed a little slow on the ball. "Bel it doesn't matter. Kill him!"

"I don't like you, why would I do something you tell me to?"

I stopped caring and began walking away. The number of idiots in this school was increasing, as was the number of dangers. Before I could get anywhere the bell rang signaling the end of lunch.

6-6-6

"Bel-senpai, why are you following me?" I looked over my shoulder to see the blond not far behind.

"I'm not."

His statement was made true when we both stopped at the same door. Biology.

"No way." I stared open mouthed at the door. "What awful luck."

Bel opened the door from behind me and pushed me inside. A few heads turned at our entrance. People seemed more concerned with Bel than me. I was kind of glad. These upperclassmen didn't need to take note of my frog backpack.

After Bel sat down at an empty table I grasped the fact that there was only one other empty table, the one in front of his. What did I ever do to deserve all this? I sat down, trying to not make my anxiety known to everyone. "Bel-senpai, I think you should trade me seats and sit in front. Having this killing intent emitted at my back hurts. Also being stared at by a future serial killer makes me uneasy."

"I'm not moving." Bel leaned his chair back and stuck his feet up on the table. "Frog, if _you _don't like it then maybe _you _should move."

I looked around the classroom, "There are no other open seats then the one beside you."

Bel didn't say anything.

What is that saying again? Keep your friends close, your enemies closer, and your potential murder closest? Or something like that. I wasn't sure if it was an invention, but if it was, and I turned it down, it might result in more pain for me. I got up and moved to the seat beside Bel. He didn't kill me. That was always a good sign.

Our teacher was walking around the room when the tardy bell rang. He finally found what he was looking for, a box of tissues. The whole class watched as he sneezed into a tissue, and then looked at it thoughtfully. The man, who was rather petit looking, was wearing a jacket that made it impossible to see his face. He also wore a pacifier, similar to Fon's and Reborn's, but his was a color of indigo. He explained to the class, "I have a cold."

The man pointed at a row of jars laid out on the tables behind everyone. "This year in biology we'll be dissecting many things. In those jars are a few good examples. Take a look."

We all scooted out of our chairs, even Bel, and made our way to the back of the classroom.

"Shi shi shi," Bel was holding up a jar of formaldehyde with a frog in it. "How would you like to be put in a jar?"

"You're really warped." I said, he just laughed.

I looked over at a jar with a white rat in it. Ugh. I walked away from the others and headed for our teacher, Viper. "Pardon me, but are you sure I should be in this class? I'm a year younger than everyone else. It's a mistake right?"

Viper looked at our class sheet, "Fran, right?"

"Yes." Please let this be a mistake. Being in the same classroom as Bel-senpai with scalpels and dead things. It was like a living nightmare. One that I really wanted to wake up from.

"Why shouldn't you be in this class?" Viper put the paper down to sneeze.

"Hey Froggy!" Bel called excitedly, I looked over to see him holding up an eyeball. He walked over with it between thumb and forefinger.

"Quite being disgusting," I looked at the eye, it looked back. "I don't even want to know where you got that from."

Viper looked at the eyeball. "You should go wash your hands."

Bel-senpai shrugged his shoulders and walked out of the room. He still had the eyeball. I sat back down. We just ate lunch, and there was only so much I could stomach. As soon as I was seated a few of the kids came over to me.

"Sitting with Belphegor is dangerous." A girl said. "He almost killed another student before, but because he's royalty the whole ordeal got shoved under a rug."

"I can't believe it!" I gasped. "He's actually a prince?"

I always thought he was just over egotistical.

"Yeah," The girl nodded her head vigorously. "His twin will one day be king too, unless Belphegor succeeds in killing him. He tried it once already but failed. It would be nice if they both disappeared. They're both devils!"

"Bel has a nickname," A boy who was standing beside the girl said. "He's called Prince the Ripper, but never to his face."

"It's fitting," I mumbled thoughtfully.

"You should stay away from him, he's trouble." The girl continued. Her voice was really starting to annoy me. "I bet he even gave you that cut on your neck, or the ones on your hands."

I clenched my hands into fists.

"You can pull up a chair and sit by us." The boy grabbed my upper arm and gave it a slight tug.

I pulled my arm away from his hand. "You guys are idiots."

"Look, just today Bel almost killed his twin Rasiel during fourth period. He's crazy!"

I already knew that, but how did _they _know that? "Where did you hear that from?"

"The entire school knows about it!" Another kid enlightened me. "The rumor is traveling around like a wildfire."

Not because I wanted to, but because I felt bad that I was part of the cause of this rumor did I say something. "Look everyone you, _and _the entire school, have it all wrong. Today I was trying to- hey wait where are you all going?"

Everyone had scattered back to their seats. I turned around to see Bel-senpai standing there. That smile of his was still on his face. The eyeball was gone.

"Is the Froggy trying to stick up for me?" Bel pulled out a scalpel. "I don't need you to defend me."

"Can I have my shoe back?"

"No."

Well it was worth a shot.

6-6-6

My next class period was in the gym, it being P.E and all. I looked around the room, which by the way was HUGE! It had polished wood floors, white walls, and had cages containing various balls along one of the walls. It was one of the nicer gyms I had ever seen, and I had been to many different schools before. There was a group of kids waiting around for class to start.

"Fran!" Hayato called me over. "I see you have P.E with us."

"Us?"

"Yamamoto and Futa." Hayato clarified. I didn't see the two he mentioned but I took his word for it.

"Okay kids gather around!" Colonnello, our P.E teacher, was tall with blond hair and had a blue pacifier around his neck. I wonder why a lot of the teachers had one. "I'm assigning locker numbers and we have to pass out gym clothes today. Everyone get in line and if this goes quickly we can play a game."

"A game? If it's anything like Reborn's game, I'll pass." I absently said out loud.

"Oh so you have Reborn," Colonnello, who must have heard me, laughed. "Yeah he's something else. The game I was talking about was soccer."

It was hard to tell which was worse. I hate sports. I think working in groups as a team and all that exercising is too much work. There's my laziness kicking in again.

We got our locker numbers and were sent to the locker room to make sure the combinations given to us worked. Mine did. I got locker number 33 and my combination was 6-16-26. We were also assigned gym clothes and shoes. It was nice to have two of them again, shoes I mean. There was nothing special about the outfits; they were simple and rather comfy. The top was a white T-shirt and the bottoms were black shorts with a white stripe down the side.

"Okay now that everyone is ready we're going to run a few laps and do some stretches before heading outside." Colonnello announced.

Like a hamster on a wheel, running laps got us nowhere. I like having a destination. I saw Yamamoto running really fast. He played baseball and was fit because of it. I saw Hayato running along beside him. Yamamoto looked calm and happy but Hayato looked angry. They passed by me.

"I'm going to beat you!" Hayato said, pushing himself even harder but never fully passing Yamamoto.

"Is this a new game?" Yamamoto laughed.

"It's a race," Hayato confirmed. "And I'm going to win it."

"But we're running in a circle." Yamamoto pointed out.

"Shut up!" Hayato tried speeding up, Yamamoto easily matched his pace.

From how things looked it seemed to me Yamamoto could effortlessly out run Hayato. I had to speculate why he didn't. Why he kept running beside him. My thoughts were interrupted when Colonnello made a whistle sound with his fingers. "Let's head outside!"

The soccer field had freshly cut grass. I could smell it in the air. It was pretty hot out, with the sun still overhead. We lined up as Colonnello put us into two teams. I ended up on Yamamoto's and Futa's team. We were against Hayato who seemed pleased he would be up against Yamamoto. A friendly rivalry? Yamamoto was good at baseball but once the game started it appeared he wasn't half bad with soccer either. Hayato had a fiery attitude and used explosive kicks but altogether he wasn't very coordinated. Futa was running around to help as best he could, but he didn't seem very into the game. I was positioned as a defender, protecting our goal for the first half of the game.

"Score is 0-0." Colonnello announced. "Yamamoto and Hayato have been running around the field like crazy. Let's get other people out there."

"It's not our fault that Hayato is being a ball hog." A boy complained as he took centerfield.

"Shut up!" Hayato snapped as he took over as the goalie.

"Here Fran, switch me places." Yamamoto said, running over to my side.

"I'd rather not." I said quickly, but the writing on the wall was clear.

"Quite joking around, we're counting on you to score a point!" Yamamoto encouragingly pushed me forward.

I stood on the right side of the field and waited for the game to continue.

Right off the bat the other team got the ball. I surged forward to intercept it, kicking it from out of the other's rang. I moved the ball along with gentle kicks until someone on the other team tried to kick it away from me. I grabbed the ball between my feet and jumped over the on coming foot. Their kick only hit grass as I made my way to the goal. I kicked the ball hard at the net where Hayato was waiting patiently.

"Did you see how high that jump was?" Someone gasped.

"Wow Fran's like a frog!" Someone else commented.

I abruptly turned around to stare the kid down, "I am not like a fr-"

My sentence was cut short when Hayato returned the ball into my face. If I hadn't stopped paying attention to the game it never would have happened. Damn frogs.

I felt the ground before I knew I had fallen over. Hayato kicked really hard. The sky was no longer covered in clouds and was a gorgeous shade of blue. Looks like rain wasn't in today's forecast. I was wrong after all…

"Holy shit, Fran, are you okay?" Hayato and a few other students were leaning over me.

"Move back," Colonnello came up. "He looks fairly out of it. I'm going to take him to the nurse's."

The nurse's? Doctor Shamal? That man who thought I was a girl? I quickly sat up, scaring a few people. "It's okay, I'm fine."

"Fran, you're eyes are unfocused looking and you're still looking at the sky." Colonnello pointed out to me.

"That's because the world is spinning." I tried standing up and with Hayato's help I managed to do so.

"At least sit out of the game for now," Colonnello looked concerned. "There are enough people on both teams still."

I sat down on the sidelines beside Colonnello. The grass felt nice and after awhile my head stopped throbbing. It would have been sad to make it through the whole day so far after all I've been through to get done in by a soccer ball. I was busy pulling blades of grass apart for lack of nothing better to do when I heard someone shout, "Fran, head's up!"

I looked up in time to see a blur of black and white coming at me.

6-6-6

"That's going to leave a mark!"

"You idiot, why did you do that?"

"I didn't mean to!"

"I hope his face will be okay, he's so cute."

"Dude, you sound like a girl."

"Enough!" Hayato's voice. "Give him some air."

"It's like soccer balls are attracted to him." Futa observed.

"Good thing it wasn't a baseball or he might have a black eye," Yamamoto's voice this time.

The voices I could hear all around me. I couldn't open my eyes though, they felt too heavy. I must have momentarily black out. How bothersome.

"I'm taking him to the nurse's," That was Colonnello and I knew I had to get up or else I would be handed over to that womanizer of a doctor. I had heard rumors about him during lunch when Tsuna was retelling his story to the girls, of course only after they begged him to.

"Ngh." That's all I got out. I tried opening my eyes again and this time it worked.

"He's awake!"

"Are you okay?" Hayato held up his hand. "How many fingers do you see?"

I reached my hand up and palmed him in the forehead, hard.

"He's okay." Hayato informed everyone, backing away.

"Fran, can you hear me?" Colonnello was beside me now. "I'm taking you to the nurse's, hang in there."

Using all my willpower I sat up. It was fine that everything was swimming in my vision now. I'd be okay. "No."

"This isn't something you can argue. You need ice on that bump of yours."

"I can walk." I got up, able to stand on my own.

"Are you saying you want to walk to the nurse's by yourself?" Colonnello sounded concerned. "I don't think that's a good idea."

Yeah, no kidding. "Finish the game. I know where the nurse's is, I can get there by myself."

I got a pass from the teacher and walked myself off the field. I walked through the school in a daze and the hall wall became my new best friend. I got to the nurse's office and was able to hear voices through the door.

"Oh Doctor, you flatter me!" It was a woman's voice. There was a fit of giggling and my face turned green. I felt worse than when I saw the eyeball.

Giving up on getting ice I decided to kill some time exploring. If Byakuran caught me I would have the pass so everything would be fine. There were posters on the walls advertising after school clubs that would be starting soon. I skipped over all the sports ones because I had no desire in doing anything athletically involved. There was a Go club, a Chess club, a Music club, and the list went on. I have no exceptional talents so everything was out. I kept walking until I came upon a door marked basement. Our school has a basement? I tried the door knob. It was locked, of course. Out of curiosity I put my ear up against the door. I didn't really think I would hear anything but was surprised when I did. There was this buzzing sound, a heater perhaps, and something else. A noise I couldn't identify.

"Did you hear something over there?" A voice came from the adjacent hall. I didn't have time to run away so I opened the nearest door other than the basement and stepped inside. Through the door's window I could see three adults walk by, they must have been teachers. I don't know why I hid, I had a pass after all, but for some reason it felt necessary.

"Hello…" That voice sounded familiar. I turned around to see that white haired guy from earlier, Squalo. "Welcome to leadership class. You better have a good excuse for being so late."

"Oh no, I don't have this class." I waved my hands in front of me. "I came in here because… Xanxus is going wild…"

It sounded like a good lie to me. Earlier it sounded like Squalo had to deal with Xanxus all the time, and after seeing the man I'm sure my lie wasn't far from the truth.

"Great," Squalo sighed. "If I don't stop him he'll break a window like last time. That damn temper of his."

Once the man was gone I was prepared to leave when a hand slammed on the halfway opened door, closing it. I knew that hand. I knew that hand _all too _well.

"The little Froggy lied. You had math earlier so how would you know what Xanxus is up to?" Bel-senpai has leadership class. It made sense with him thinking he was a Prince. "Did you ditch your class, sneak into mine, and lie to the teacher just to see me?"

"As if. I don't like your type at all." I educated him, and then forced the door open and left. His laughter echoed after me.

I got back to the gym just a few minutes before school ended.

"Oh good you're back, go change out of your clothes." Colonnello accepted his pass back and I went to the locker room.

Hayato slammed his locker shut.

I went over to my locker and opened it up. Yamamoto was the closest to me so I thought I'd ask him. "What's with him?"

"Hayato?" Yamamoto laughed. "He's mad because the game ended in a tie."

"Oh. What was the final score?" I changed back into my school uniform and put up my gym clothes. They would have to be washed once a week, maybe twice…

"0-0, no one ever scored." Yamamoto walked out of the room with me. His black hair was wet, meaning the class had taken showers, because I hadn't sweated much I didn't feel I was obligated to do the same.

The school day ended and I felt a sigh of relief escape through my lips, I had made it.

6-6-6

I had on my normal shoes, my froggy backpack that also managed to survive the day, and I was ready to go home and crash. I caught the bus and sat by myself once again, happy to finally have a chance to catch my breath. When I got home I saw that dad wasn't back yet. I had time to finish my room. I went upstairs and dumped my box of stuff onto my bed, only after kicking my frog under it. I pulled out one of the posters. This one had a kitty cat on it that was holding onto a tree branch that read 'Hang in there!' I pinned it up over my bed on the ceiling. I had a funny feeling I would need to see it every morning and every night. There was another one that had a picture of an owl with large yellow eyes that read 'Who cares?' I put that one on my closet door. The last one my dad got me was of a wolf; it didn't have any sayings on it. I put this one on the wall my bed faced. I grabbed my books and using bookends placed them on the corner of my desk.

"Finished." I smiled to myself. I heard dad's car pull up. Perfect timing.

I went down to find him. Dad was in the kitchen putting much needed groceries away. "Hey Frannie!"

"How was work?" I was waiting for him to tell me I was right about the store being messed up.

"It was a normal day of work. Nothing was strange. And they were all really nice people."

"Was it the same store?"

"There's only one in town with its name." Dad finished putting things away. "So how was school today?"

I took a deep breath. "I got up late because my alarm didn't go off and was hungry for most of the day because I didn't get to eat breakfast. My school is crazy I almost died so many times today! A maniac who goes by the name of Belphegor almost sliced my throat this morning and he took one of my shoes! My homeroom teacher Reborn has a gun and was firing it at the students. I got shot in my uniform and now I have a hole in it. My second period teacher cooks worse than you, her food is like acid! Spanner, my Electronics teachers has a giant robot called a moska; it nearly killed Tsuna and fired a laser beam into the wall where now there's a hole. My fourth period teacher is very violent and a teacher with a sword is the only one who can control him. Bel-senpai has a twin which is twice as scary. He tried to kill me as well! At lunch I met lots of people but then I met Bel-senpai in the hall and later I found out we have biology together. Biology! He made me sit with him, in a way, and he showed me an eyeball. What kind of person does that? I heard a lot of rumors about him from other students. They say he's called Prince the Ripper. He's very dangerous, though he did help me out when his twin tried to kill me so I guess he has some good parts. Though that's not the point! During P.E I got hit in the head twice with a soccer ball then when going to the nurse's, who by the way thinks I'm a girl and asked me on a date, I ran into Bel-senpai's class. Don't ask why. I don't think I've ever had a day so full of-"

"So how was your day?" Dad asked me again, breaking my rant.

I paused and finally said with all the sincerity I could muster, "Not half bad."

"Good to hear. Just think it's only the first day!"

I blinked. Only the first day? Only the first day? _Only the first day? _I began hitting my head on the nearest wall.

"Stop that Frannie before you get hurt!"

It was too late for that. Obviously he hadn't heard a word I said about my day.

_To be continued…_

**Authors Note- **Quite a bit of the dialogue was taken from Katekyo Hitman Reborn! Chapter 220 page 5 through chapter 224 page 4. I did this because I wanted to keep them in character and because I felt it was appropriate. There are also a lot of references made from the manga in this story that may or may not have been noticed. I won't be quoting from the manga as much in the later chapters in case that annoyed you. I apologize if characters seem out of character, if you feel they are could you helpfully add input on how I can improve? This is the longest chapter I have ever written and it took me the longest time to write. I poured my heart and soul into it so I would love to hear what you guys think! =^-^=

**Next chapter- **Reborn makes an important announcement during homeroom, Bel and Fran have detention together, and Fran gets home by means other than a vehicle!


	4. Rainbows Must Have Rain

Rainbows Must Have Rain 

With my eyes opened the first thing I saw was my pillow. Last night I had cradled it like I always did when I dreamed of my mom. I removed my hand from underneath and looked at the cut. I had treated all my cuts last night and they were now scabbed over in the healing process. The one on my neck didn't hurt as much as the ones on my hands. I flexed my hand. I supposed it could have been worse. If I hadn't run into Bel-senpai when I did…

I bolted up in bed and slapped myself. This wasn't the time to be thinking such thoughts. I crawled across my bed to look at my alarm clock. The time was h2:L? I rubbed my eyes with the sleeve of my nightshirt. It was two sizes too big and hung off my shoulders but it was comfortable. Nope my clock still read the same time. It occurred to me that there shouldn't be two numbers before the colon if there was only one after it. I flipped my clock right side up just as the minute number changed. 7:25. I scooted back to my window and tossed the curtains to the side. I could just make out the taillights of my bus as it turned the corner. I missed my bus. I went back over to my clock and check my alarm, it was turned on. Why had my alarm not gone off twice? I had used this clock for four years and every other day it had faithfully woken me up at the set time. Now it has decided to make my life more miserable than it already was by not working? Either that or I was secretly being sabotaged…

Why would dad do that?

"Frannie~" Dad called using a singsong voice. Speaking of that man, I thought I would reserve speak of the devil for Belphegor.

"Dad!" I busted into the kitchen with only one arm through my jacket and was still pulling up my pants. "Why didn't you wake me up? I already missed the bus!"

"Oh dear." He frowned, holding up the spatula thoughtfully like a housewife would.

"You don't sound too concerned." I did up my belt and fixed my jacket. Last night I sewed a patch over the hole; sadly it had come from my mother's old sewing box and was a frog.

"Want some pancakes before I drive you to school?" Dad was wearing an apron that was housing stains from when I was a baby. I still hated peas to this day.

"No to both." I looked over at what my dad was cooking. "Those are pancakes?"

"Yeah, want some?"

"Dad…" I sighed. I didn't have time for this. "Are pancakes supposed to be green?"

"I thought I'd make them look like lily pads." Dad saw my face and coughed into his hand. "So how do you plan on getting to school?"

"School!" I got everything together and looked at the clock. If I ran I would get to school on time. I flung the door open and began running. My frog backpack danced in the air as it flew behind me.

"Have fun at school Frannie!" Dad called after me. That man was awfully cheerful, I was so thankful I didn't inherit that trait.

I couldn't believe I was doing this, but it was better than having dad drive me to school. I would rather die than have that happen. It was a good thing I was paying enough attention to the bus rout yesterday or else I might've not known where the school was. I wasn't fast enough to catch up with the bus but I felt I was making moderately good time.

"Woof, woof, woof!" Argh it was someone's dog. I ran past the house but for some reason the barking was still there. I looked behind me.

"What in the world!" A grey and black Great Dane the size of a small horse was chasing after me. It was catching up so I pushed forward even harder. I was already rather drained of any energy I had stored up while sleeping so I didn't feel like I could go much farther. My feet felt leaded and my breath was ragged.

It happened in an instant. I was on the ground, a vast weight on my back, and there was a tugging on my backpack. It loosely reminded me of when I first met Bel yesterday but I didn't think now was an appropriate time to recall that _incident_. The dog had my frog! I tried to push up to get the dog off but that made it growl at me. Its two front paws on my back wasn't helping my spine any. "Get off me you dumb dog!"

"Woof!" The dog dug his claws in. I could hear my jacket rip and inwardly cringed. If I had to put one more froggy patch on my school uniform I would scream.

"I'm going to be late!" Complaining to a dog was not one of my better moments. "Get off!"

I heard another rip but this time it wasn't my uniform. I looked up over my shoulder to see the frog's head tearing at the seams. The dog's saliva was dripping all over its green coat, which now that I thought about it, wasn't very frog like. I had never seen a fuzzy frog before. I held my breath as I watched the dog totally decapitate the frog, something I had considered doing many times, but after seeing the stuffing spout out of its neck my stomach dropped. Why did I feel such remorse?

The dog dropped the head; I grabbed it quickly, and tucked it under my arm like a football. The dog now regarded me with a look of hunger, not the type I was used to, and I was now worried about my own head. Without thinking of the consequences, something that occurs often, I rolled. Rolling with a dog on top of you is hard but it helped to take it by surprise. It took me a second to realize I rolled off the sidewalk and into the road.

"Woof, woof!" The dog barked but didn't move. I looked ahead to see why. A large semi truck was heading our way at an incredible speed. I picked myself up off the worn down grey pavement, frog head still in hand, and willed my feet to get me out of there.

They didn't listen to me.

I could now see the truck driver through his windshield which meant he was closer, which wasn't a good thing. I just stood there despite the fact that I would get hit. I was frozen on the spot and even though I was aware of everything I could do nothing. With bated breath I waited and squeezed my eyes shut. I couldn't watch myself get splattered like some helpless bug.

I think the man saw me because I could hear his brakes being slammed on. I could feel the heat coming in waves off the engine, and even though I couldn't see it, I knew the truck was only inches away.

"Idiot get out of the way!" I was tackled to the ground and the semi truck missed my foot by inches. "Are you trying to end up as road kill?"

"Bel-senpai?" I looked up, disbelieving. "What are you doing here?"

"Idiot frog!" He banged my head against the ground.

"Why," Bang.

"Didn't," Bang.

"You," Bang.

"Move?" Bang.

"Do you want to die that much?" He pulled me up so our noses were almost touching. "If death is what you seek I'll help you find it."

"Senpai, _you're _going to kill me!" I chocked out. He loosened his grip around the collar of my shirt and let me fall back to the ground. He looked down at me in a very disappointing manner and walked away. I watched his receding figure head towards our school. Wait, all this time I was right there? I looked at my frog head and frowned. So far this day was starting off worse than the last.

6-6-6

I was sitting in homeroom listening to Reborn take roll call. He had already called me so I had nothing to worry about. I had on my one indoor shoe, I had put my frog head in its belly where it resided in my locker, and now I felt like there was a permanent dark cloud hanging over my head. It was all my sadistic senpai's fault. I'm not sure why it was bothering me. Was it the fact that Bel saved my life, again, or the fact that he left like that? Why would he care if I got myself killed or not? It's not any of his business, though I was grateful for the rescue. Now I had to thank him. Again. Bel-senpai was so hard to understand…

"We're having a school field trip next week." Reborn announced when he was done taking attendance. "Letters will be sent home to your parents sometime this week. The entire school will be going to a science convention in the mountains, even the teachers, they'll be the chaperones. Our class will join together with Dino's English class on the ride over. The school is paying for this trip and the letter home will tell you what to pack. Onto today's lesson."

A fieldtrip? Wasn't it a little early in the year to be going on one? Oh well, anything to get away from this crazy school.

6-6-6

"Lunch, finally!" Hayato sighed contently beside me. "When sis set the desk on fire today and the alarms didn't go off because yesterday she smashed them because they got on her nerves I thought we were all going to die for sure."

"Six near death experiences before lunch, today is living up to my expectations." I sighed as I stabbed my pork.

"Six?" Haru, who was sitting on my other side, asked.

"A dog attacked me this morning, I almost got hit by a semi truck, Bel-senpai almost bashed my brains out, Reborn fired his gun at me today because he was upset that he missed yesterday, there was the fire in Bianchi's classroom, and Xanxus almost killed me when I answered the math question wrong on the board."

"Sounds like you've had a hard time today." Haru said sympathetically. "If you want I'll draw you a picture in Lal Mirch sensei's art class!"

"Ah thanks I-"

"It'll be a frog sitting in a pond!"

She just had to add that? I curtly said thanks and stood up to leave.

"You haven't eaten anything." Tsuna, who had been sitting in front of me, noticed.

"I'm not hungry."

"Not true, I heard your stomach growl during Electronics." Tsuna looked worried. "Is something wrong?"

"I also noticed you don't have your frog backpack with you and that you're carrying around paper and pencils. Did something happen to it?" Kyoko tilted her head to the side to get a better look at me.

"I-"

"Quite being noisy guys," Hayato commanded, and then remembered who had said what he expressed regret. "Tenth, I'm sorry!"

"No, you're right." Tsuna laughed, as he tried to get Hayato to stop bowing his forehead into the table.

I took that moment to leave. I didn't want them to see that their worries just made my cloud burst.

6-6-6

The school day was over. I had on my normal shoes now and had my frog slung over my shoulder. Bel-senpai hadn't talked to me the whole day even though I sat by him in Biology. He didn't even _threaten _me. I had tried striking up a conversation once or twice but it ended in failure. We didn't play soccer today so I didn't get hit with any balls in P.E, that was good news, but it didn't make me feel any better.

I went to the designated class for my detention for today. I opened the door and to my horror the cause of all my problems was the only one in the room. Bel-senpai was sitting in the middle of the front row, writing on the desk with one of his scalpels. I walked in, sure that he already knew I was there, and walked across the room, passed him, to sit at a window seat. I didn't think it would matter but I asked anyways, "Where's the teacher that's suppose to be in here?"

"Shi shi shi, he saw me and ran the other way."

"Most sane people would." Bel-senpai talked! I tried to hide my excitement.

"Want to ditch detention?" Bel pulled his scalpel out of his desk.

"I'm not a delinquent." I huffed.

"So why are you in detention?"

"I got caught skipping class."

"So you're a _bad _delinquent." Bel got up and walked over to my seat. "A delinquent nonetheless."

Bel opened up the window and with pressure from his hands popped out the screen. He lowered the screen onto the ground outside. It was a good thing we were on the first floor. "If we walk out of the classroom the cameras will catch us, but if we go through the window and use a little known route I made then we should escape being seen."

"You must get detention a lot." I watched him step out of the window.

"Last chance, frog."

"I thought you didn't like me." It didn't make sense that he would want me to go with him.

"I don't," Bel sheathed his scalpel into some unknown pocket. "What gave you the hint?"

I knew he was being sardonic but in a quiet whisper replied anyways, "You ignored me all day."

"Shi shi shi," Bel's laughter was like salt on an open wound, like kicking a man when he's down, like attacking someone who's unarmed. It was cruel. "I only did that to annoy you. I thought it would be more effective than outright harassing you. From the looks of things this method proved affective. My un-cute kohai went around school all day today looking distressed."

Bel walked away just like that, leaving me feeling dumbfounded. I quickly got up and leaned out the window. Bel was just standing there, as if he had known what my next move would be. I really should remember that curiosity killed the cat. I looked over at him. "Was all that worth it?"

Bel's hand grabbed onto the front of my jacket and pulled me out of the window. "Yes."

"Bel-senpai you're really callous." He tugged me along on what I assumed was his path to not getting caught on camera. Nothing like being forced to skip detention which you got for skipping class.

We kept walking and eventually passed along the soccer field for P.E class. We were heading to the area of school that was absolutely pointless, and because of the angle, out of view from the cameras completely.

"Are you taking me somewhere secluded to kill me?" I tried not to think how long it would take authorities to find my body.

Bel-senpai laughed, "Whatever gave you that idea?"

"There's no evidence to prove otherwise."

Bel-senpai finally pulled me under a shady area made by the trees just outside the school's wall. "We're here."

"Am I supposed to be impressed?" The shade was probably a few degrees cooler so it was nicer than being under the sun. Bel-senpai sat down. Resting against the wall he crossed his legs, and placed his arms behind his head. I followed his example and did the same, mimicking everything except his twisted expression. That bit was impossible to replicate. "I have to admit this is somewhat nice, Bel-senpai."

He didn't say anything. If he had it might have ruined the moment. I was so tired after all the running I had done today, it was no wonder my legs didn't fall off, or my feet run away. I let my arms fall to my side, it was too much of an effort to keep them up. My eyelids grew heavy and I found myself gradually losing consciousness. "Thank you for saving me, Bel-senpai."

While sleep took over me I kept in mind the end of that cat saying, and that satisfaction brought it back. I wholly agreed with it.

6-6-6

I opened my eyes to see that the shady area had grown. How long had I been asleep? I felt my head move and at once knew I was using Bel-senpai's shoulder as a pillow. He must have been aware of the fact, unless he was asleep too. I didn't want to move so I chose to speak instead. "Bel-senpai?"

"Hm?" The sound didn't have his usual rudeness to it, which made me question if there was a human underneath all that devil.

I felt like testing it. "Why did you bring me with you to this spot?"

"Because it's more enjoyable when you're with me."

My god! That didn't sound like the Bel-senpai I knew. Something like that, coming out of his mouth? I felt his hand on my shoulder, forcing me closer to him.

"So if I get bored I'll be able to entertain myself with your screams."

That was more like it. Now that I knew Bel-senpai was acting normal I noticed the scalpel in the hand that was holding my shoulder. How did I not see that before? I took my head off his shoulder. "I don't scream."

"Are you sure about that?" Bel-senpai slung his arm around my neck, drawing me even closer still. His scalpel sliced through the buttons of my jacket then played idly at the hem of my shirt. "I can make you scream, you'll have to be the judge on whether or not it's from pain or pleasure."

I swallowed nervously. "Bel-senpai…"

Bel leaned in closer, I could feel his breath on my neck, and just below my ear he whispered, "Detention has been over for an hour."

"What!" I jumped up, thankfully not getting cut on the scalpel. "Why didn't you wake me up?"

Bel-senpai shrugged a knowing smile on his face.

"I have to get back home before dad does!" I was about to cut across the field when Bel-senpai grabbed the back of my jacket.

"There's an easier way."

I turned around. "How?"

Bel jumped up and grabbed one of the branches. With it he managed to pull himself up onto the top of the wall. "Like so. Think you can jump that high, frog?"

I tried jumping up but my finger tips barely scrapped against the bark. How had Bel-senpai made it look so easy? Practice I bet. I jumped once more, this time I got a grip of the branch.

"Here," Bel-senpai reached over and with his help I was able to stand atop the wall with him. He paused. "You know, I have half a mind to push you off."

I rolled my eyes.

We jumped down off the wall and were free from the school.

"If you want, frog, I'll walk you to your peasant home."

"No." As if I would allow Bel-senpai to see where I lived. That would be like insulting a mafia boss in front of his face with his entire family behind him. It was suicide.

Bel-senpai pulled out his scalpel, waving it. "If you want I'll walk you to your house."

On the other hand not allowing Bel-senpai to do what he wanted was also suicide. Choices, choices. "Fine."

We started walking when something occurred to me. "Why do you want to walk me home anyways?"

"To make sure you don't get yourself killed along the way."

"I didn't know you cared."

"I don't." He was now walking ahead of me, not caring if he left me behind with his new fast pace. "I'm going to be the one to kill you, remember, so there's no escaping for you."

"Is that why you were so upset earlier?" I tried getting a look at his face but he was doing a good job of avoiding me. "You really thought I was trying to kill myself?"

"Shi shi shi," Bel-senpai looked at me, grinning like the maniac that he was. "Not even you are stupid enough to do that. Obviously your puny frog brain was frightened into paralyzing your body."

"But you said-"

"All part of my ploy."

He didn't say anything after that, neither did I, but I had my doubts. If Bel-senpai actually cared enough to run out and save me then maybe there was more to him than I first thought. I watched him lick his scalpel.

Or maybe not.

6-6-6

"I'm not carrying you. It's your fault for not paying attention to where you were walking in the first place."

"I know, I didn't ask." I looked down at the ankle that I just sprained when I tripped over a crack in the sidewalk. I got up, adjusting the frog on my back, and took a step.

Oh my god it hurt! It was a stabbing pain that shot up the nerves of my leg. I fell to the ground, grabbing the offending ankle. I felt Bel-senpai's shadow cascade over me.

"You didn't cry out even though it hurt you," Bel-senpai's crown caught the falling sun's rays and it almost looked like a halo was above his head, I wasn't fooled. "I would have loved to hear it."

Bel-senpai got down low and rested on the balls of his feet, "Here, get on."

"Are you offering to give me a piggyback ride?" Bel-senpai didn't look like he would be able to carry me.

"No, idiot, I wanted to see what it was like to have a froggy backpack like you." Bel-senpai looked over his shoulder. "Now get on."

He didn't have to ask me a third time. I scooted over to him and wrapped my arms around his neck. When I was positioned right he grabbed my legs and stood up. I was anticipating falling over but Bel-senpai was strong. He kept walking as if I were nothing _but _a stuffed frog.

"Where to next?"

I peeked around senpai's hair to get a good look at where we were. I dared releasing my hand long enough to point right. "That way."

We made it to my house in no time at all. Dad's car wasn't in the driveway so I knew he wasn't at home yet. Good thing too because I never told dad about my detention.

"So this is your house?" Bel-senpai walked all the way up to my door.

"Don't comment." I slid off his back and let go, making sure not to put any pressure on my foot.

"Shi shi shi. Now I'll collect my payment for carrying you."

My head automatically jerked back. I've heard lines like that before right before the guy always kisses the girl. Bel-senpai reached behind me and pulled off my backpack. I looked at him with a 'what the hell' expression on my face.

"Expecting something else?"

"You want my backpack?"

"Later, frog." Bel-senpai turned around and began walking away. I tried to follow him but immediately regretted walking.

"Come back, that has my house key in it!"

"I know." Bel-senpai waved goodbye over his shoulder before leaving.

I slumped down onto the porch. Now I would have to wait for dad to come home. What the hell was that? All of it. Today. "What the hell!"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note-** This chapter had a lot of Bel and Fran moments, that's basically all it was. It also had plot development and gives you an idea of future events. The main thing is the fieldtrip that's coming up. Next chapter will have more Fran and Belphegor as well as Squalo and Xanxus, pair wise. Chapter six will be jam packed with I think most of the pairings that I'll have in this story, as will chapter seven. This is a Fran and Bel story though so I don't think anyone is complaining.


	5. Go To Hell, Do Not Pass God, Do Not

Go To Hell, Do Not Pass God, Do Not Collect Your Dignity 

I sat looking out the window of the bus disbelievingly. This entire week of school had been nothing short of pure chaos full of bombshells metaphorically and literally, Spanner sensei saw to that, and I was more than a little overjoyed that today was Friday. My new friends were all very kind, and I was starting to get used to their tremendous amount of optimism. Though it got so bad I was sometimes chocking on it. It was worth the sacrifice though. Anything is better than being completely alone. Then there was my tormenter, Belphegor. He was my insane bloodthirsty senpai who sometimes I really wanted to just stab, where as he doesn't hold back when it comes to stabbing me. It was like the false prince had never heard of self-restraint. I was now wearing a complete box of Band-Aids and last night I had to open a new one. I don't even think dad noticed. He got some inspiration for his story and was working like a mad man. I think he needs to get more sleep. It's not healthy to push your body to its limits. Will he listen to me? Like hell.

The bus came to a stop and my body fell into the routine I had come to know during the week. I got off the bus feeling totally detached. It had been four days since I met Bel-senpai and he had taken my shoe. It had been three days since Bel-senpai had carried me home and had taken my backpack along with my house key. The next day he had given the key back but I have my suspicions that he got it copied. I had trouble sleeping each night knowing Bel-senpai had a way of getting into my house, but so far I had seen neither head nor tail of him anywhere near it. The rips in my jacket I was able to sew without using a patch but it looked like shit. Dad ordered me a new one but it wouldn't get here until Saturday. My backpack hadn't been returned yet either and that left me in a sour mood. I don't think anyone could tell because I always wore the same expression.

"Good morning Fran-chan!" Kyoko called to me from the school gate. I walked over to her and noticed Haru was also there.

"You don't have to add chan." No one really seemed formal and uptight in this school. It was refreshing.

"I know, but it just sounds so cute!" Kyoko looked over at Haru. "Don't you think so too?"

"Yes, it's adorable." Haru then grabbed onto my jacket's sleave, tugging at it with such a force I thought it might rip off. "Fran, while I was drawing your frog picture I got the sudden urge to make you a frog costume! What do you think?"

I refrained from having my eye twitch, "Haru, I _really _don't like fro-"

"Hey you guys!" Hayato came walking up, his bag slung over his shoulder, a cigerate hanging from the corner of his mouth. I learned early on that he was a chain smoker. Not a healthy habit but his lungs seemed fine for now so no one worried about it. It was Hayato's hobby of playing with dynamite that I was really concerned about.

"Good morning." The girls replied at once to the teen's greeting.

"I'm so glad it's Friday." Hayato slung an arm around my shoulder playfully. "What about you Fran? I know you've had it the hardest out of all of us. I hope all this abnormally didn't scare you off."

"I'm still here aren't I? Anyways, by now I think I'm used to it, not sure if much else will surprise me." Dad would never let us move in the middle of his work, even if I begged, which I had considered earlier on in the week.

"I wouldn't say that now, Frannie, everyday is a new day and anything can happen." Our white haired principle Byakuran said in a very serious manner. He had just pulled up in a sleek black car but had gotten out of the passengers seat. It only took moments for it to be revealed who the driver was.

"Don't bother the students." Fon stuffed his keys into his pocket and walked around the car.

"I was only giving helpful advice." The grown man pouted.

"Did they ask for advice?" Fon lifted his eyebrows in question.

"No." Byakuran sighed. "I guess it's true what they say. Advice is like a sandwich. You can give someone a sandwich but you can't make them eat it."

"I've never heard that before." Kyoko comment thoughtfully.

"It's just like leading a horse to water and not being able to make it drink." Fon explained, and then looked at his watch. "Look, now we're late, we have a staff meeting before school starts. Really now, what are parents going to think having such an irresponsible man being in charge of the wellbeing of their kids?"

"You sound like a broken record, Fon."

"That's because with you I have to constantly repeat myself." Fon reminded him as he dragged the other into the school building.

"What class does Fon teach?" I asked dumbly when the two had left.

"He just works in the office, I think." Haru also stood looking puzzled.

"Whenever I seen him he's always dealing with the principle," I mentioned as we began heading for the school's doors. "I feel sorry for him, having to deal with someone like that everyday. It's like he's Byakuran's babysister."

"I think he enjoys it." Kyoko said quietly.

"Are you surious?" Hayato laughed.

I looked at the girl. "What makes you think that?"

"I think Fon likes being in control." She paused in mid thought. "He also looks happiest when they're together."

"I don't think I've ever seen Fon smile before." Hayato mused out loud. "He always acts in a business like manner and he's all strict."

"You can't blame him for being organized," Kyoko defended the man. "If you think about it his personality compliments Byakuran's dysfunctional behavior. I'm sure the principle can be tidy if he wants but I think he chooses to be the way he is."

"Maybe you're right." I considered her argument. Maybe Byakuran liked being taken care of. Who knows? I just wished he would stop calling me Frannie.

6-6-6

Homeroom began and I wasn't feeling thrilled. Reborn was one of my more sane teachers, and that was the scary part. I absentmindedly began drawing pictures on the margin of my paper. They were more like doodles. They varied from apples, to poorly drawn trees, to eyes. I drew a really menacing looking eye and was quick to scratch it out, blanketing it in lead.

"I want you to all atempt to write three poems by the end of the period." Reborn said to the class, there were a few groans that were met with gunfire. They should have seen that coming by now. "They have to be at least three lines each. They don't have to be good, we're just starting this unit and I don't except good structure or word choices, but I want you to all atempt something presentable."

I stared at my paper and I could only come up with blanks. Time passed and I still had no ideas.

I looked over at Yamamoto's paper to see he had written two poems about baseball and one I couldn't totally make out but from where I sat it seemed like a romantic poem. I would have never labled him the type do write such mush. I looked at the usually calm baseball fanatic and noticed him staring ahead dreamily.

What's with him?

I looked at my paper. Then I looked at the clock. Crap.

_Everywhere I go I'm forced to be reminded of you,_

_I'm taking a wild guess but I think your eyes are blue,_

_I only wish you hadn't stolen my shoe._

I looked at my first poem. I think I officially hated poetry.

_Unbalanced and confused,_

_Feeling lonely and abused,_

_You're an offer I wish I could refuse._

These were really crappy. If I had more time to think then I'm positive I could come up with something better.

_Apart but whole_

_Beautifully_

_Coming together_

_Darkness of the heart_

_Everything lost_

_Finding missing pieces_

_Ghosts of tomorrow haunting today_

_Humans divided_

_Injustice_

_Justice_

_Killing_

_Living_

_Maybe it's too late_

_Nobody can't relate_

_Observing all the people_

_Puzzles with parts that don't match up_

_Quizzes with no anwers_

_Rivers of hate stains our thoughts_

_Something's not right_

_Try opening your eyes_

_Understanding is the key_

_Voids swallow our souls_

_Wishing is lost on dispare _

_Xoanon lined up but without prayer _

_You're here but not_

_Zone out _

I looked at my last poem, if you could call it that. It was totally random and was inspired by the English alphabet. I stared at my paper lividly. There was a gigle beside me and I turned to see Kyoko giving me a funny look. Tsuna also turned around to stare at me.

"Escuse me!" Kyoko ducked down. "You're exspression was priceless though."

"Don't feel bad Fran, I'm not good at poetry either." Tsuna gave me an encouraging smile then turned back to his own work before Reborn noticed.

I was good at writing though, why was it now that I was choosing to choke?

The bell rang.

Oh well, I guess I could lable it as one of life's many mysteries. I seemed to be discovering lots of those lately. I stood from my desk and turned in my paper.

Walking down the hall was no longer awkward and people had gotten used to me having only one shoe. If only I had. I constantly felt like I was off center. I walked into my second period class to see Mukuro and Chikusa entertaining themselves before class started.

I joined them at our table not paying them much attention.

"Good morning." Mukuro said to me. Usually he avoided talking to me and Hayato so immediately I was suspicious.

"Sure." I said as I sat down.

Chikusa was playing with a green Yo-Yo and from the looks of it he was really skilled. He noticed me watching him and smirked. Before I knew it the yo-yo shot at my face. It didn't hit me but I was startled somewhat.

"Chikusa learned how to use a yo-yo when he was three." Mukuro supplied. "He's good, isn't he?"

I stared up at the two. "Sure."

Hayato rushed in the room just as the bell rang. "Whew, that was cutting it close."

"Where were you?" I asked though I really didn't care. Wow that sounded shallow of me. It was true though, I only asked for conversational purposes.

"Reborn was angry with me for not writing anything on my paper."

"Eh?" I looked at him in surprised. "You couldn't think of any thing to write?"

Not that writing my three poems was a walk in the park.

"Nah," Hayato scratched his head nervously. "Besides I think poetry is for sissys."

Bianchi was talking about today's lesson but I momentarily tuned her out as I siad absently, "Yamaoto didn't seem to have trouble writing poetry."

"Yeah well he's a freak." Hayato then seemed to really focuse in on what his sister was saying. Once again she wore goggles that covered her face.

"Love is the most important thing in the world and whatever it is that you make should always have heart put into it." Bianchi was saying. We were not making anything today but we always were told this. I had a sneaking suspicion that she was head over heels in love with someone.

I could already tell this was going to be a long day.

6-6-6

"Can you believe it?" Ryohei was exclaiming. "It's going to be to the extreme!"

"What are you guys talking about?" I asked as I joined the usual table. I sat beside Basil and I-Pin today.

"The up coming fieldtrip," Kyoko gushed. "Are you excited Fran?"

"No."

"Eh!" Everyone at the table looked at me surprised.

"I don't really see what the big deal is." I stuffed some of my salad into my mouth.

"What the big deal is?" Hayato gasped; clearly he was just as wound up as the girls, and Ryohei. "It's an over night trip! We get to camp out near the sience convention because there are no hotels nearby."

"And we get to spend a whole week out of school." Haru added.

"I thought you liked school." I stared at the girl blankly.

"I do." Haru flushed, embarrassed, "But fieldtrips are so much fun."

"You get to lean some pretty cool stuff." Futa supplied. Once again he was reading a book at the table. Man that kid loved to read. Today's book was The Marine Lover's Guide to Sea Life.

"And you get to see how things work." Lambo added while he was fiddling with what appeared to be a broken toaster. He had his tools laid out before him instead of food.

"Then there's the romance!" Hana said dreamily, staring at Lambo who didn't appear to notice her intent gaze. The other girls seemed to agree with her, even the shy I-Pin beside me.

"Romance?" I scoffed.

"I agree with Fran," Hayato said crossing his arms over his chest. "You girls need to get your heads out of the clouds."

"Leave them alone," Yamamoto laughed. "They're just having fun."

"Yeah, it doesn't concern you." Hana sent a glare in Hayato's direction. "What girl would want to fall for you?"

Hayato stood up, slaming his hands on the table spilling his milk all over his tray when the carton fell over.

"Now guys," Tsuna said quickly, trying to intervien. "Let's not fight at the lunch table." "He's right." Hayato agreed. "Let's take this outside."

"Fine with me." Hana also stood up.

"Hayato quit acting childish." Yamamoto pulled on the other's arm to try and reseat him.

"Now, now, play nice children." Lussuria said, appearing from nowhere, and stood beside our table. Hayato reluctantly sat back down. The drama teacher turned to look at me. "Fran, could you do me a favor?"

I blinked up at the man.

"Could you run this over to Squalo's room? You know where it is don't you?"

"Why don't you just do it yourself?"

"Because I'm busy." Lussuria handed me an envelope.

I stood up, not saying another word to anyone, dumped my tray and left the cafeteria. I'm not sure why I was doing this. I suppose it was better than listening to my friends argue.

I walked down the hall until I came to a familiar door. Without giving a second thought I opened the door up.

"God Xanxus, I told you not to press into me so hard, you know I'm sensitve there." Squalo's voice could be heard but I couldn't see him from where I stood. "Now I'm going to have to wipe it off in the bathroom."

My mind froze and some dirty thoughts flashed into my mind. I paused. I wasn't sure whether to run before someone saw me or to make my presence known. This could all be a misunderstanding, a play on words, and I could be blowing this whole thing out of proportion. I internally smacked myself for using the word blowing which brought up more disturbing images.

"Hello? Squalo? I have something for you from Lussuria." I called out; figuring no one in their right mind would be doing something like _that _at school.

That's when I noticed the two teachers standing in the corner of the room. Squalo looked over at me and I noticed the bottle of loction in Xanxus's hand.

"Ah I've been excpecting it, about time." Squalo must have noticed me staring at them. "I somehow managed to have an allergic reaction to today's lunch. The lotion is for the hives that broke out on my skin."

"That… makes sense." I said, thinking it over. "Well I'll leave it on the desk for you."

I put the envelop down and made a beeline out of there.

Last time I do anything for Lussuria. Ever.

"Un-cute kohai!" Bel-senpai's voice called to me. I ignored him.

Big mistake.

I felt a knife be thrown at me. It hit my back, cutting me, but luckily didn't stick and it just fell to the ground in a clatter.

I turned around, caustically I greeted him. "Hello fake prince."

Bel's smile disappeared and a look of annoyance crossed his face. "I told you not to call me that."

"I told you to stop throwing knifes at me." I shrugged. "I guess neither of us are good listeners."

Out of the blue he asked. "Would you like your shoe back?"

"Of course I want it back, it is mine after all."

"Would you do anything to get it back?" There was an edge to his voice that sent chills up my spine. Not a pleasant feeling.

"No." I turned back around and continued walking.

"All you would have to do is come over to where I live and I'll give it to you."

I stopped. Nothing with Bel-snepai was ever that simple. "No."

"You can come with me after school to get it." Bel-senpai offered. His words seemed harmless but his tone not so much.

"Go home with you?" I turned around to laugh in his face, or as much of his face that wasn't covered by hair. "Why in the world would I do something like that?"

"To get your shoe back."

6-6-6

"Why in the world am I doing this?" I complained to myself. I had called dad before fifth period started and he agreed to let me go over to Bel-senpai's house. I even dropped him hints that I really didn't want his permission, all week I had been complaing about this specific senpai to him, but all that was ignored during the phone call. Damn him. Now I stood waiting in the parking lot after school with the most self-centered maniac I knew. Life was just peachy.

I saw Rasiel, Bel-senpai's twin, head towards a black limo that just pulled up. A black man with graying hair who was wearing a suit stepped out and opened the door for him. He must be a butler I figured. The man looked creepy and gave off an odd vibe. I looked at Bel-senpai who hadn't even seemed to register them. "Aren't we going to get in?"

"Shi shi shi, silly froggy, I don't live with that piece of shit anymore." Bel-senpai began walking in the opposite direction; I of course followed after him. We ended up near a suspicious looking black truck with Sqaulo, Xanxus, Levi, and Lussuria all standing around it.

"You're coming with us?" Squalo looked at me. "Che, whatever."

There was a quick argument on who was going to drive but it ended with Xanxus at the wheel and Squalo riding shotgun. The rest of us sat in the truck's bed. I sat behind Squalo, Bel behind Xanxus, Levi beside Bel, and Lussuria beside me. We all fit comfortably though I couldn't help but think it was illegal to ride back here, and when Xanxus got on the road I really wished I had a seatbelt. And maybe an airbag. Or a barf bag. Maybe both.

"Quit driving recklessly!" Squalo was bitching at Xanxus, which was something Lussuria commented happened a lot. "You're going to get us all killed."

"That guy cut me off." My math teacher growled.

"So? That doesn't give you a reason to be an idiot." Squalo continued on.

"They fight like a married couple." I commented dryly.

Lussuria burst out laughing, "Yeah they do!"

I could feel Levi glaring at me. The old pervert really didn't like me. The feeling was mutual.

"We're going to have so much fun!" Lussuria was saying.

Bel-senpai pulled out a knife and because he was sitting across from me I could feel his sinister aura, "I couldn't agree more. I'm going to enjoy cutting the frog up."

"Don't even think about it or else I'll tell Squalo." I warned him, not in the mood to be feeling vulnerable.

"Shi shi shi." He just laughed.

"And we can play games and do crafts, oh I just love charades!" Lussuria was still talking.

My god what have I done?

6-6-6

We had driven quit a ways out of town and soon there were no signs of building, just trees. It was kind of nice being in the countryside, away from all the people. Though the person I wanted to be away from the most was the person I was traveling with. Oh the irony.

We started down a private driveway that kicked up lots of dust and small rocks. Before I knew it Xanxus pulled in front of a large mansion. It had two stories and resembled a castle to some extent. It looked to be made of stone and the large double doors that lead inside had intricate designs burned into it.

"Wow." I said the word but my face didn't show how impressed I was. "Can you afford this on a teacher's salary?"

All eyes turned to me.

Note to self, don't ask questions.

"Ha ha ha," Lussuria laughed. "Well there are four teachers living here so we split the cost."

That story made sense but I wasn't buying it. Just the way they reacted to that question was hint enough that that wasn't the whole story.

We all got out of the truck. There was a stone path that wound its way all the way to the door and I followed the others up it.

When I got inside I didn't see what I was expecting. It was a clash of the 1800s and now. Modern and historical. It looked good but I thought that was just a coincidence.

Xanxus, Squalo, Levi, and Lussuria left to go do their own thing.

"Wait here," Bel-senpai walked off heading up the grand staircase that had a wooden rail. I watched him until he was out of sight.

Now I was alone.

I looked at the high ceilings and had to wonder how that worked with the second floor. The lights were modern which was probably a good thing considering the mansion must be fairly old. There were large windows everywhere that allowed the light from outside to pool in. There was a red carpet going along the center of the hall and plants on each side of every doorway. There weren't any paintings or anything in the entryway but I could just image what lay inside. Before I knew it Bel-senpai returned with my shoe in hand.

"Here," He tossed it at my head and I didn't manage to doge it all the way in time.

Now that I had my shoe back what was I suppose to do? I couldn't walk home, the distance was too far. Dad wouldn't get off work until later so he couldn't come and get me yet.

"Is something the matter kids?" Lussuria was passing through the hall.

"I just realized I'm stuck here for awhile." I sighed. "My dad doesn't get off until eight tonight."

"Oh I know!" Lussuria twirled happily then lifted his arms in a great declaration. "Why don't you spend the night?"

"NO!" Both Bel-senpai and I said together.

After being shot down the man seemed unfazed. "Okay well how about we entertain you until you leave?"

6-6-6

Every one of us stood on the lawn, everyone but Xanxus that was.

"So we're going to be playing crow kay?" Levi asked confused. "Why are we playing with crows?"

"I think you mean croquet." I corrected him. "It has nothing to do with crows but mallets and balls."

Levi glared at me.

I turned around. "Ah such a beautiful sky, isn't it?"

And it was.

"Why did I get dragged into this?" Squalo asked, clearly not happy.

"It'll be fun!" Lussuria assured him.

I got the color green, Squalo got black, Levi got blue, Bel-senpai got yellow, and Lussuria got orange, the color of dumb.

We began the game after Lussuria put up the course. Bel-senpai went first claiming that he was a prince and that he deserved to go first. A load of BS if I ever heard any.

It was only ten minutes into the game when all hell broke lose.

"You're cheating again!" Squalo was referring to how Levi kept bumping his ball along when he thought no one was looking. The white haired man lifted his mallet up and aimed at _Levi's _ball. The larger man gasped and fell to his knees in pain.

Are these guys really teachers? I mean does the school even run a background check?

"!" Levi broke out into a cold sweat and looked like he was going to be sick.

"You get what you deserve." Bel-senpai laughed.

Squalo dropped out of the game to beat Levi up.

"Forget those two, let's keep playing!" Lussuria was talking to Bel-senpai and me.

I was the first to hit the end poll and was now on my return trip. I carefully maneuvered my ball so on my next turn it would go through the white hoop wicket. I stood off to the side watching Bel-senpai swing his mallet. The hit sent the green ball flying into the air. He over shot his target by a huge distance.

Wait…

Green ball?

"Bel-senpai!" I yelled, appalled. "That was my ball!"

"I know." Bel-senpai smirked.

That. Was. _It_.

"Now children, there is no need to-" Lussuria began.

_Pissed_ to the _point _of no _return _I dropped my mallet onto the freshly cut grass and tackled my senpai to the ground.

"-fight." Lussuria finished his sentence then added, "I win because everyone else got disqualified!"

My reaction seemed to be precisely what Bel-senpai was hoping for. We began to roll trying to get the upper hand. His crown fell off and got left behind in our mad struggle. I felt us run over some of the wickets and left them behind no longer in the ground. I felt Bel-senpai tug at my hair but I delivered an elbow to his stomach and he let go. The land their mansion was built on wasn't even and all of the sudden we were rolling at an alarming rate downhill. The blond devil didn't care and continued to bite my arm and scratch at my face.

"Belphegor! Fran!" Lussuria stared after us. I could just make out his blurry figure when I was on the bottom of the roll.

We got to the bottom where the ground leveled out, we stopped rolling, and I was lucky enough to be on top. I looked down at my senpai. There was a small scratch on his face near his jaw but it didn't seem to have drawn any blood. Besides that he looked fine. Good, no reason to feel guilty for being the one who started it. I couldn't see his eyes but I felt my stare returned because at that moment he grinned up at me. Oblivious to our position until at that moment I noticed where my hands and legs were. I was straddling Bel-senpai's lower stomach and my hands were on each side of his torso. Well this couldn't get anymore embarrassing.

"Looks like Fran finally snapped! His love for Belphegor drove him to the edge of sanity and straight off the cliff!" Lussuria was gushing to Squalo who had joined him to see what the commotion was about. "Young love is the sweetest, passionatest, and the naughtiest! Make sure you use protection!"

"Tch, at least get a room." Squalo said before turning away.

I stand corrected.

Before Bel-senpai could comment, because I knew he was dieing to, I stood up.

He opened his mouth.

"Not. A. Word."

He paused to consider this, smiled, and was about to say something when a voice boomed, "Squalo!"

We both looked up to where Xanxus stormed out of the mansion. I ran up to join the others, not caring whether or not Bel-senpai did the same.

"You did what?" Squalo stood shaking his head.

"What's going on?" Bel-senpai who was somewhere behind me asked.

"Your mink got out of its cage because Xanxus tried to eat it." Squalo explained. "You do know mink is not the other white meat?"

"What!" Bel-senpai sounded horrified.

"Now he doesn't know where it is and because the door was left open there's a chance it could be outside." Squalo sighed. "I guess we'll have to all go searching for it."

We split up so more ground could be covered. Levi, Bel-senpai, and Xanxus looked outside where as Lussuria, Squalo, and I looked inside. If it was under any other circumstance I would have been happy to see the rest of the house, for the life of me I don't know why, but because it was a panicked search for Bel-senpai's lost pet I didn't have time to enjoy the decor.

Sqaulo was busy searching the downstairs so Lussuria and I went upstairs.

"We should look in places the mink might want to go." I didn't know what their natural habitat was.

"Good idea!" Lussuria led us to a door. "So the first place we should look is Belphegor's room."

I hated to admit it but I was holding my breath as we stepped inside. I was expecting it to be a room full of torture equipment, blood stains, and maybe a victim or two. Upon seeing the room I was surprised.

The room had dark wood floors with a black square rug in the center. The room was like a master bedroom. Windows made up the wall that was touching the outside. There were dark blue curtains that hung beside the windows, ready to be drawn closed. To the left was a canopy bed with a red and dark blue color scheme. There were two doors on the right. If I had to make a guess I would say one was the closet and the other maybe lead to a bathroom. There was a desk also on the left side with a computer hooked up on it and a chair beside it.

"I bet you're getting all sorts of ideas being in here~"

"Huh?" I blinked at the drama teacher.

"Don't play dumb, I can see through your act!" Lussuria chuckled.

I didn't get it.

"Oh come on." Lussuria spread his arms wide. "You're inside Belphegor's room."

"Yeah. So?"

"Bedroom."

I blinked at him. I was still not getting his point.

"Fran!" Lussuria looked at me exasperated. "There has to be some sexual fantasies playing out in your head with you and Belphegor in this room. I mean look at his bed!"

Lussuria pushed me over to said bed, and pulled the covers back, "See that? It's red silk sheets. What's sexier than silk? I mean doesn't it just bring the most hormonal filled thoughts to your mind?"

Lussuria quieted after that and studied my face.

"I honestly have no idea what to say." I began slowly. "No, that thought has never crossed my mind. No, I would never want to think about such utterly disgusting thoughts. And don't you think we should be looking for that mink?"

I was proud of myself. I stayed calm throughout all of that.

"Fine, you're no fun Fran." Lussuria began searching the right side of the room.

There wasn't really much on my side. There was only the bed.

I got on my hands and knees and pulled the blankets back so I could see underneath.

"Ah!" I fell back onto my bottom as I stared at the creature that had jumped out at me. It was… adorable! It had tiny paws, a cute pink nose, and a fur cut to match its owners. It didn't seem feral and when I went to pet it the mink pushed its head into my hand.

"What wrong?" Lussuria looked down into my lap. "You found him!"

"Yeah, I guess I did." I got up, making sure to hold the mink so it was at ease and followed Lussuria out of the room.

Lussuria ran around informing everyone that the mink had been found while I sat in the living room making sure said mink didn't run off again. The room was nice and there was a warm glow to it with the lamps on. It had suddenly gotten a lot darker outside.

"Storm!" Bel-senpai ran into the room, bypassing me completely, and picked up his mink."

"Oh good you found the damn thing." Xanxus walked away after that but not before calling over his shoulder, "Squalo I'm hungry!"

Sqaulo followed after him grumbling.

"So you named your mink Storm?" I asked Bel-senpai.

The blond looked down at me as if this was his first time seeing me.

"You should really thank Fran. He's the one that found him." Lussuria said as cheerfully as ever. "I know why don't you give him a kiss as a reward?"

"Bel that wasn't very nice," Lussuria said, trying to pull the knife out of his shoulder.

I hadn't even seen Bel throw it.

6-6-6

This was not normal. This wasn't right. It was just plain sick.

Eating dinner with teachers, one of whom I even had class with.

It was wrong, but here I was doing it.

We were all seated around a large rectangular table in the middle of their dinning room. Xanxus sat at one end of the table, Squalo at the other, Levi and Lussuria sat on the right side, and Belphegor and I on the left side. On my plate which had a few chips out of it was a piece of tuna, corn, and rice. They all seemed really odd together.

"So, tuna?" Xanxus asked looking at his plate.

"I caught it earlier this week." Sqaulo replied. "Is there a problem with it?"

Xanxus looked up at Sqaulo, then back at his plate. "No."

"So how was school today?" Lussuria directed his question at me because I was the one sitting in front of him.

"Hell."

"Hell?"

"Every school day is hell." I informed him.

"Why is that?" Lussuria sounded concerned.

I gave a meaningful look in Bel-senpai's direction, "Hm, I also wonder why. Let me think. It may be do to the fact I've only had one shoe all week. I have crazy teachers. Oh no. It must be because every day I'm beleaguered, etched into, and belittled by a certain senpai with disregard towards other people."

"Shi shi shi, I'm flattered."

"Is Belphegor teasing you at school?" Lussuria giggled.

"That's putting it lightly." I tried taking a bite of my tuna. It tasted pretty good!

"Well usually when a boy likes a girl, well when a boy likes a boy in this case, they'll try to get the other's attention anyway they can." Lussuria was using his fork and spoon as visual aids. "Now Belphegor is just trying to-"

Bel-senpai threw one of the knives he had been using to cut his meat with into Lussuria's other shoulder this time.

"Was that really necessary?" Lussuria inquired as he pulled the offending knife out.

"Stop saying stupid things unless you want to die."

Lussuria sighed, "You're no fun either."

6-6-6

After dinner I helped Bel-senpai clean the dishes. It's not like I volunteered to do it or anything but Sqaulo insisted I help. I didn't mind _too _much. Bel would wash them and I would dry them. He almost seemed harmless with his hands in the pink soap bubbles scrubbing away. They didn't have a dishwasher because Xanxus broke the one that came with the place and they hadn't bothered to get a new one.

"Is that the last one?" I asked as I placed the plate into the cabinet.

"Yeah, I think so." Bel moved his hands in the water searching for anything he might have missed. He pulled out a butter knife. We both stared at it silently with the same thoughts running through our minds. If that knife had been anything sharper…

Bel inspected the knife and handed it over to me. I dried it off and placed it in the drawer they kept their silverware in.

"Now what?"

"I have an idea," Bel-senpai got a mischievous look on his face.

6-6-6

"This is a bad idea." I stated the obvious. We were currently in Squalo's study searching his desk.

"Shut up, un-cute kohai." Bel was looking through a folder.

"What are you looking for anyways?" I looked around the room. The walls were lined with bookshelves and there was a couch in the center of the room with a coffee table in front of it. There was also a little nook off to the side where one bookshelf was placed oddly because it was too big to go against the wall.

"Just watch the door."

"I didn't come up here with you to be your accomplice you know." I folded my arms across my chest.

"Then why did you come?" Bel challenged as he shut one drawer and opened a file cabinet by the desk.

He had a point. Why did I come?

Just then there were voices outside the hall. Internally I panicked where on the outside I stayed as calm as a clam. "I think someone's coming."

Bel looked up from what he was doing and closed everything making it seem as if nothing had ever been touched. We were about to make a hasty exit when the voices were right outside the door.

Bel-senpai swore under his breath.

The need to hide took over and I grabbed my senpai's arm pulling him behind me into that nook I saw earlier. It was just in time too because we could hear the door open up and the voices became crystal clear.

"Don't you think we should wait?" It was Squalo's voice. This was his study after all so that was no surprise.

"No." The gruff reply had to be Xanxus.

"Fran's still here though."

Did they know we were in the room?

"So?"

The sound of them sitting on the couch could be heard.

"I just don't want someone walking in on us, it's not like the door has a lock you know."

"We'll be fine."

"Maybe you're fine with someone walking in on us but I would be embarrassed!" I could here someone shift their position.

"There's no reason to get worked up." It was strange hearing Xanxus sound reassuring and kind. So unlike how he acted around his students.

"I suppose you're right. Lussuria is downstairs watering the plants. Levi is brooding in his bedroom. Belphegor is… where is he?"

"With Fran?" Xanxus hit that nail on the head.

"Yeah but where are they?" Sqaulo asked thoughtfully. "I know I made them do the dishes but they should be done by now."

I peeked out from behind the bookshelf but all I could see was the top of their head because the couch was facing the other way.

"Shut up about it already." Xanxus growled.

I looked over my shoulder at Bel-senpai and mouthed the words, "What do you think they're going to do?"

He smiled and mouthed back, "Each other."

I almost choked on air, "What!"

He laughed with out actually laughing, "If you want to know so bad then go find out."

I looked back around the book case once more. I could no longer see the tops of their heads. I looked back at Bel, "No way."

Then as an after thought mouthed, "We need to get out of here."

Bel nodded in understanding. He pulled out a cell phone and began typing on his keyboard. When he was finished he shut the thing and put it back in his pant's pocket.

"What did you do?" I mouthed to him.

"You'll see." He mouthed back.

We waited a few minutes until Lussuria burst into the study. "Sqaulo there you are! I see Xanxus is here too. Both of you put your DS away it's an emergency!"

"You idiot," Sqaulo snapped. "I was in the middle of a boss fight."

Once again I had misunderstood. Thank god.

"What's the emergency?" Sqaulo asked irritation dripped from his voice.

"I can't find Belphegor or Fran anywhere!" Lussuria put his acting skills to use, he sounded very dramatic. "I'm worried that they are somewhere doing something they shouldn't."

There was some truth to that.

"I'm afraid Belphegor is going to force himself upon poor Fran out of pure lust for the boy."

I looked over at Bel-senpai and from his expression I got the impression that this wasn't the distraction he had in mind. I would have laughed but one, we didn't want to be found, and two Lussuria also had mentioned my name in an unsightly manner.

"You're over reacting." Squalo replied. "But we'll go look for them. If Fran isn't molested in the slightest you're going to pay."

When all three men left the room we jetted out of there.

"Did you hear that Fran?" Belphegor asked me while we walked down the hall.

"Hear what?"

"If I don't molest you Lussuria is going to get beaten up."

"He'll survive."

"Shi shi shi, you're heartless." I was surprise he didn't press the matter after that.

6-6-6

They ended up finding us in the living room playing with Storm. Bel-sepia had made the mink a crown like his and together they were a sight to see.

"Lussuria." Sqaulo did not look happy.

Just then a bell chimed.

"Someone's here~" Lussuria cheered, relieved to be momentarily forgotten.

I knew it was dad. I mean who else could it be? I went ahead and opened the door myself, seeing as Bel-senpai's legs must have been broken because he had been much closer than me. Lazy fake prince.

"Hey there Frannie!" Dad smiled down at me. "What a place this is! It was really hard to find even with those instructions you gave me."

"Let's go," I made sure I had my shoe as I tried pushing dad away from the door.

"But I want to meet your friends."

"No you don't." I didn't want him to.

"Yes, I do."

"Hello!" Lussuria appeared behind me.

"Hello!" Dad held out his hand. "I'm Frannie's father-"

"Dad let's go!" I pulled on his other arm.

"You're so impatient." Dad looked at me disapprovingly. "So are you Frannie's friend? You seem older than I thought you would be."

"Oh no, I'm not Fran's friend~" Lussuria chuckled. "You're thinking of Belphegor."

"Dad!" With all my strength I managed to pull him out onto the driveway where our car was parked. Dad seemed to give up but I knew him better than that.

Lussuria, Levi, Sqaulo, and Belphegor all came out to see me off. I really whish they hadn't. I quickly looked at them and saw their faces. "Don't say it…"

"Oh my god," Lussuria began, slapping his hands on either side of his face.

"HAHAHAHA!" Levi began laughing so hard he had to hold his sides.

"…" Sqaulo didn't say anything and just stared.

"Shi shi shi. How appropriate." Bel-senpai smirked, he was holding onto Storm.

"It's cute!" Lussuria broke out into a wide grin.

My life could now end. I'm done. This is me throwing in the towel.

They saw our car.

Our black frog car.

I would never live it down.

Dad began talking with Sqaulo. It appeared he still wanted to meet everybody. Didn't matter anymore. Nothing mattered anymore. I floated to the car in a daze. I got in the passenger's seat and buckled up. Not like it would matter if we got in a car wreck and my head went flying through the windshield. At least it would all be over. In a worse case scenario I would only get amnesia. I heard a knock on my window and I turned to see Bel-senpai.

Couldn't he wait until tomorrow to harass me?

I turned dad's key that he left in the ignition, a bad habit of his though it's not like anyone would want to steal our car, and I rolled down the window.

"Your dad sure is a character," Bel-senpai commented.

"That's an understatement." I could see dad was talking with Sqaulo still. From bits and pieces of their conversation it sounded like they were talking about fishing. I looked back at Bel-senpai. "What do you want?"

"I wanted to give you that reward now."

"Wha?"

Bel-senpai reached his arms through the window, holding on to Storm, and I felt the mink's tiny pink tongue lick my cheek. Bel-senpai pulled him back out.

Storm crawled onto Bel-senpai's shoulder, wrapping his tail around Bel's neck in an affectionate manner as he stepped back.

"Okay Fran, ready to go now?" Dad got into the car. _Finally_.

He began to pull out of the driveway. Shouts of goodbye could be heard from Lussuria.

I left my window down, gazing at the stars up above. There were no clouds out tonight making the view almost perfect. The wind whipped my hair back and lashed out at my ears and face. I could hear the hum of the engine like a cat's purr and it was a lulling sound. The trees that we passed made shadows on the road because of the moon up ahead. It really was late now. I looked over at dad and noticed that he was looking at me from the corner of his eye.

"What?" I asked him, curious as to what I had done to gain his attention.

"You've been smiling like crazy ever since I got in the car."

I raised my hand to my face and at once felt the toothy grin. Well I'll be damned.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note- **First off let me thank those who went to my profile and read that I would be gone for awhile. Secondly let me inform everyone else if you ever wonder why I'm not posting as much it's a good place to check. School will be starting soon and I have other stories I'm working on which I have ignored for far too long to work on this one. To be honest though at the moment this one I enjoy working on the most. I'm so sorry for the last chapter. It was dripping with sap and I hope none of you got stuck in it. I can't help it. Really. I'm a sucker for a romantic filled story between two guys but I can understand quite well when there is too much of it. That's only after being told though. I know Bel-senpai is a sadistic twisted soul and that he's not really all romantic and such but I don't want him to push Fran away. Or scare him to death instead of just the nightmares he's been getting. Also I don't want my story to be like that. I want love in it, not just sex and foreplay, though that is sure to come eventually. It was brought to my attention that at this moment in time my story does not need to be rated M, which is true, but hold your opinion of that until after next chapter. Sorry for all Sqaulo and Xanxus fans who thought something was going to happen between them this chapter. I'll make it up to you when something finally does occur. Next chapter is called Make Like a Tree… and Split. Yes I know the real sayings are make like a tree and leave, and make like a banana and split. There is reason to everything I do, unless it's random. Next chapter is the craziest one yet! At least in my opinion. You'll be sitting at the edge of your seat. There are possible character deaths, crushes confess, Belphegor's eye color revealed, a _real _child molester, and one school fieldtrip you'll want to forget!

Nah, I'm pulling your leg, see you all in the next chapter! =^-^=


	6. Make Like a Tree and Split

**Author's Note: **Please note there was a just kidding at the end of the last chapter. All those things I mentioned might not really happen. It was just to get you thinking. Sorry if I got your hopes up, but I don't think this chapter will disappoint. Enjoy~

Make Like a Tree… and Split

I stared, vexed, at my morning cereal. My spoon housed cold milk, circular wheat pieces, and several soggy to the point of deteriorating marshmallows. What was this crap suppose to be again? I sighed as I let my spoon's contents fall back into the bowl.

"Something wrong Frannie?" Dad asked from above his newspaper. I didn't understand why he made such a big act of reading it, when all he did was skim through the headlines of articles, and then devour the funnies. When I didn't respond, he continued. "I mean, yesterday, you were so happy. You were even skipping around the place."

My head shot up, "Was not!"

Ignoring me, he asked, "Did something happen?"

"Well…" I looked around the dining room, and through the doorway into the living room. On Saturday we finally got rid of the last box. Dad had thrown them all away, as a reassurance to me that we wouldn't be moving anytime soon. I was still not convinced. I looked at dad, his eyes hungry for knowledge of my troubles. "I'm bored."

He momentarily stared at me, then burst out laughing, dropping his paper in the process. "That's all?"

"What do you mean?" I glared at him as I pointlessly stirred my milk. "You want it to be something bigger? Like I'm depressed, because my drug dealer is sick from aids after doing it with a dirty hooker, because his mother insists on calling him gay, because of his long hair, so he just decided to go with the flow, so now I can't get my supply?"

"You have such a wild imagination, you get that from me!" Dad scooped up the mess that was his newspaper and set it in a chair that wasn't being occupied. "So you're bored. Do something about it."

"Like what?"

"I don't know. Get out of the house for a few hours. It can't hurt."

"Those are famous last words." I said as I poured the rest of my cereal down the sink's drain. Before I went to get my shoes I asked dad, "So what are you going to do?"

"Write, maybe sleep, or something."

I figured he would be fine by himself for a few hours, "See you later then."

"Bye Frannie!"

I stepped outside and breathed in the fresh morning air. I looked up to see the sky painted in hues of orange and yellow. There were a few clouds scattered in the sky, but they only made the view even prettier. I paused in my thoughts, as I saw someone else out and about this morning. It was our neighbor from across the street. The lady got into her car and pulled out of her driveway. She saw me, and waved at me through the windshield, a wave which I returned. I decided to head in the opposite direction I always went, because I was curious of what was on the other side.

As I walked, the sun slowly grew higher in the sky, and I was glad to be wearing my khakis and dark green jerkin instead of pants and a heavy jacket.

I passed house after house, and just when I thought there would be nothing interesting to see, I saw that there was a small park up ahead. It was pretty plain, with a small field, a set of swings, a metal slide, and monkey bars. There was no one else there, and not a single house in the general area, so I made my way over to it. I had no desire to play on toys built for children, but I wanted to sit somewhere other than the ground. I took a swing and began to instinctively push myself.

I was bored. It was easy to see why when I thought about it. Saturday had been a relief after the hectic week I had. I'm sure if I hadn't had a day off I would have snapped. But now… now I admit I missed the excitement, the people, hell even Belphegor. I wondered what my insane senpai was up to at the moment. He was probably doing something interesting. I wondered if he was thinking about me. Wait. That's not right. I don't care what he's thinking. I don't want him thinking about me, because if he was it would probably be about doing something horribly perverted to me.

After convincing myself that I _don't _miss him, which was a blatant lie, I began pumping my legs harder. I hadn't noticed that I was no longer alone until I heard my name.

"Fran!"

My feet hit the ground as I jumped out of the swing and my head looked up hopefully in the direction the voice had come from. I tried to not let my disappointment and embarrassment show when I saw who it was.

"Are you okay?" Tsuna asked me.

"I'm fine." I said nonchalant, hoping he didn't see the slight flush I just knew was on my cheeks. Then again, maybe not, my face hardly ever showed my emotions. I had gotten my hopes up in thinking it was Bel who had called my name, even though I was supposed to not care.

"Hey Fran, this is my friend Shoichi Shoichi." Tsuna indicated the redhead with glasses who was standing beside him. He seemed familiar. I must have seen him at school or something. I wanted to be nice to him, because he was Tsuna's friend.

"Hey."

"Nice to meet you Fran. Tsuna has told me a lot about you." He seemed polite, a little overly polite. That was when I noticed he was sweating bullets. He seemed nervous. I was not a scary person, so I assumed he was just a shy one. "He tells me you hang out with Belphegor."

Or he could be scared of me. "He did?" I tried not to sound irritated.

"I've seen him at school, he's a scary person."

That was the understatement of the century.

"You know who is even more evil than him though?"

I wasn't really into the conversation, but I fed the kid a line, "Who?"

Shoichi leaned in closer, as if anyone could hear us in this practically abandoned park, and whispered, "Byakuran."

I stared blankly at him. "Look Shoichi, I'm trying really hard not to laugh here. You're telling me our principle is evil? Odd? Yes. Strange? Yes. Devious? Most definitely. But evil? Really now?"

The redhead looked at me disapprovingly at my lack of belief, "You have no idea."

The way he said it made me question my opinion, but only for a second. I looked at a random direction in the sky, "What's that?"

Both of them turned to look. It was one way to change the subject.

"I don't see anything." Tsuna commented.

"Must be my imagination."

"Do you need glasses?" Shoichi asked.

"No."

"So, do you two have any classes together?" I thought I would ask.

"Quite a few." Tsuna counted on his hand. "We have second period science with Leviathan, fourth period art with Lal Mirch, fifth period PE with Colonnello, and sixth period math with Xanxus. That's four."

"It's a good thing you guys are friends."

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked me. He was such a kind and innocent kid. Pure even. Being with him made me feel dirty in comparison. Scratch that. Being with Bel-senpai made me feel dirty. He's corrupted me in the short amount of time since I've been here. And why do my thoughts keep going back to him?

"Fran?"

"Huh?" I looked at his large brown eyes. Crap, I was spacing. "Never mind."

There was a moment of awkward silence before I thought of an intelligent excuse to leave. "Well I've procrastinated all week and still need to pack for that trip tomorrow. I better go and get started."

"Oh, okay, see you tomorrow." Tsuna called after my receding figure.

6-6-6

"I'm home." I called through the front door when I got home. I had only been gone for two hours. Not long enough. The house was eerily quiet. I checked each room for dad and finally found that he had fallen asleep at his desk in the extra room that we turned into a study. He was drooling on some papers and I moved them before more damage was done. I sat them off to the side where they would be easy to find. I went into his bedroom and grabbed a small blanket off the foot of his bed. I went back into the study and draped it over his shoulders. It could get cold in this room because of the draft coming from the window. It was an old house after all. Once I was satisfied I went to my room.

"Now to pack," I took the list that we got in the mail from off my desk and looked at what I needed. I needed a couple of changes of clothes that are appropriate for camping, and presentable in public. "We want to look our best because we are representing our school." I read from the letter. I could do that. "A tent if you have one." I don't. "Don't worry if you don't, we can share." Great. "The campsite has bathrooms and showers so don't think you can get away with being gross and smelly. Bring soap." I could tell the parts Byakuran wrote. "You're welcome to bring snacks and liquids, just be sure to clean up any messes you make." And then I could tell where the parts Fon had taken over were.

After reviewing the list one more time, I figured most of it was doable. Dad already leant me a normal backpack to take on the trip, because my frog one was still in Bel-senpai's clutches. Not like I missed it or anything. I was also planning to pack bug spray among other things I deemed necessary for this trip, like earplugs.

I got to work immediately and started tearing through my closet.

"Whatcha doin?" Dad asked through the crack of my door several hours later. I guess when I went to get my toothbrush from the bathroom I didn't shut it all the way. His hair was a mess; there was an imprint of a pen on his forehead where he had slept on it, and the blanket I gave him he wore like a shawl.

"I finished packing for tomorrow awhile ago and now I'm waiting for time to fly."

"Really? Fit everything in there?" He indicated the lime green backpack with a tilt of his head.

"Yup, and there's room to spare," I was feeling pretty good about that because dad wasn't a light packer.

"Ready to eat lunch?"

"Do I have to?" I groaned. "I'm not even hungry."

"I ordered pizza just now, it should be here shortly."

"In that case I'm starved."

"Ha ha Frannie."

6-6-6

I woke up early for once, beating my alarm clock by two whole minutes, and managed to force myself out of bed. The air was crisp and cool inside my room, making the hairs on my arms and legs stand up. Today I didn't have to wear my uniform because of the trip. Last night I had picked out my outfit for today, it was perfect for sitting on a bus all day. I carried it to the bathroom and dropped it on the counter. I looked at myself in the mirror. Strands of hair stuck to my face, glued by drool. I reminded myself of dad. Scary thought.

After stripping down to my birthday suit I stepped into the shower, my body already affected by the chilled air. The water sputtered to life and I was pelted with warm water. I was going to miss the privacy of my own bathroom on the trip. Oh well. I grabbed for the shampoo and noticed mine was all gone. I tried squeezing the empty bottle, but to no avail, the cleaning material was used up. I looked at my other options. The only thing left was my dad's shampoo and my conditioner. I saw the label of dad's shampoo and to my complete horror it had a picture of a strawberry on it. That scent was up there on the girly scale with vanilla and oranges. "What the crap dad?"

Desperate times…

I looked at the bottle and cringed. Well maybe if I used enough conditioner it would cancel the smell out. That could work. I uncapped the bottle and poured it on my hand. I began the process of lathering it into my hair and scalp, and then rinsed it out. Next I grabbed my conditioner and did the same for it, twice.

When I was finished taking my shower I dried off with my towel and quickly dressed. The clothes I picked out for today would be comfortable for the bus ride. It was a pair of dark green pants with yellow stripes down the side, and a matching jacket which had a fuzzy white collar. Underneath I wore a black shirt. Now that I thought about it, I had a lot of green clothes…

Must be a coincidence.

I headed down stairs after finishing up in the bathroom. Dad was up and about now; I could hear him getting ready. Next I went to the kitchen cabinets to scrounge for food. I didn't want to eat anything dad fixed before being stuck on a bus for hours. Lord only knows what that man's cooking would do to my digestive system.

"Good morning Frannie!" Dad walked in while fixing a yellow and blue spotted tie. His taste in fashion was… well it wasn't.

"Ah, too cheerful." I shielded my eyes as if his smile was blinding me. "How can any human be like this so early in the morning?"

"Guess I'm not human,"

"That explains your cooking."

Dad laughed.

"That's just one of my many theories." I finally decide on a store bought muffin and an apple. After all, an apple a day keeps the doctor away, and I want to stay as far away from Dr. Shaman as possible.

"I have a surprise for you this morning!"

Damn and I thought I would get away with nothing going wrong today.

"You don't look happy, yet you don't even know what the surprise is." Dad pouted, which looked odd on a grown man.

"Well dad," I tried to let him down easy. "Your surprises are usually really horrible." A look that was worse than pouting on a grown man was tears. "Okay dad. What is it? Who knows, maybe I'll like this one."

"Well, I was thinking," Dad said chipper than ever, "Because we wouldn't get to see each other for a whole week, we should spend the morning together!"

"Sorry dad, but I have to catch the bus in a few minutes."

"No you don't."

"Dad, please tell me I'm going to be riding the bus in a few minutes." An uneasy feeling was creeping around in the pit of my stomach.

"Nope." Dad looked proud. "The bus has already gone."

My head whipped around to stare at the clock on the stove, "What are you talking about, it's only 7:10."

"Nope." Dad shook his head. "Yesterday, while you were out, I changed all the clocks so they would all read the wrong time. I'm a genius! Now it's too late for you to run to school, you would never make it in time, and if you tried you would end up missing out on your field trip. If that happens, I'll take a vacation from work and we can hang out together for the entire week. Or, you can let me drive you to school. Your choice."

My dad was evil! Whoever thought he was feeble minded, and there were many, never had to live with him.

"We can go fishing, and hang out all day in a boat."

Stuck in a boat all day with dad? I'd rather be cut by Bel-senpai's knives!

"Or we can do crafts! Like sewing, macaroni art, or origami."

He's… he's the devil!

"If we have enough time after that we can go get our pictures taken. I know a place that has a cute castle background with a little pond out front. We can dress you up as the frog prince, or princess, whichever outfit is cuter."

God anything but that! Before the madness even got started I had to stop it. "I surrender! Take me to school."

Looking smug, he nodded his head in understanding. "Get your things."

My backpack was where I left it the night before; I lifted it up off the floor and noticed how full it looked. The seams on the sides were practically splitting. I opened it, unzipping it completely, but I heard a horn honk. Dad was already in the car, and with the tricky mood he was in, I didn't want to keep him waiting. I tried to close it, but it was difficult more so than last night.

I got in the car and eyed the backpack which had been a bitch to close because it was jam-packed with something. I would deal with _it _later. Right now, I had bigger fish to fry, my dad. "So dad, is there a reason you really wanted to take me to school?"

"I already told you, to spend some time together."

"You wouldn't have done all this if that was really the case."

"Well…" He looked over at me. "I wanted to talk to you with your undivided attention, which I seem to only acquire when I have you trapped in a moving vehicle."

"Dad!" I said aghast. "Keep your eyes on the road!"

"Oh right." He turned forward again and we narrowly managed to miss hitting a mailbox.

It was silent for a few minutes as dad focused on not getting us killed.

"So what I wanted to talk to you about," Dad started up again. "This is the first time you've ever been so far from home for so long."

"Come on dad, I'm old enough you shouldn't have to worry."

"I'm not worried, and I do understand you're old enough, that's why I think it's about time we have that talk."

Wait. What?

"There's a point in every boy's life where he starts to become a man. You're still young Fran," Oh god, he used my name. "But when I say you're old enough what I mean is that I think you're mature enough for this."

"Dad stop." I could feel that muffin from breakfast making its way up my esophagus.

"No Fran." He clenched his hands hard on the steering wheel. "You need to hear this before you go because this field trip is overnight and coed."

"Dad, please, stop." I was going to be sick. I reached for the door handle to open it, even though we were in a speeding car. Before my fingers could wrap around the handle the locks shot down on all the doors. I hit the button on my door's panel to unlock it but nothing happened.

"Sorry Fran, but I locked all your buttons." Dad gave me a quick apologetic smile. "The sooner I start the quicker it will be over with."

There was no escaping it… I really _was _trapped. I knew it must be really important if dad was going this far… but still! _The _talk?

"Now that you've settled down I can start." Dad cleared his throat. "I remember when I went on my first overnight coed field trip."

_The _talk and a story! Somebody want to do me a favor and shoot me?

"We went to a museum in the city and spent three days there. It was fun. We went to a," Dad looked over at me, "Anyways, what I wanted to talk to you about was this," Dad hesitated. "When you're on this fieldtrip remember you're far from home, so you need to take precautions. Always stick with a buddy, even if you have to go to the bathroom at night, because something could happen to you if you don't. I know you're older now, and I know it might be embarrassing with girls around, but it's important."

Silence.

"That was it?" I deadpanned. "That was _the _talk you wanted to talk about?"

"Yup, the buddy system talk."

I was about to become an orphan.

"We're here." Dad said. It was true; I saw the school come into view once a semi truck turned off the road. Buses were lined up in front of the school, waiting to be filled.

It occurred to me just in time as I let my anger go, "Dad!"

Dad hit the break, sending us both flying into our seatbelts. "What?"

"This is good." I grabbed my stuff and flew out the door as soon as he unlocked it. I couldn't make out the words dad yelled after me. All I know is I dodged a bullet there. If anyone had seen our car… it would have been last Friday's incident all over again, only 100 times worse. I was also glad that the talk that dad wanted to have wasn't _the _talk.

6-6-6

All the students lined up outside the bus they were planning to take. I recognized immediately which bus my class had; it was the same one I rode. Reborn stood at the front of the group, along with another teacher.

"Listen up or else you'll get shot." That got everyone's attention. Reborn continued, "Dino and I are going to be taking roll call, so listen for your name."

After that we all climbed onto the bus. I, being the last one to get to school, was the last to get on the bus. I ignored the bus driver and looked at the group of people I would be spending a good portion of the day with.

Dino, a good looking man who could be mistaken for a superstar with his blond hair and amazing white teeth, was seated by a man wearing all black. He must have been a teacher's assistant because he looked too old to be a student. Reborn was seated by himself, with a look of ease on his face but I was 100% positive he was completely aware of everything going on. He could see students passing papers when his back was turned to them in class, so I was sure he could do the same on a bus. A few seats back I saw Ryohei spouting out one extreme after the next. His sister, Kyoko, sat at his elbow chatting away with a friend across the aisle. My gaze fell to the back of the bus and I noticed that kid from the first day of school. No one else sat around him. The only other thing that stood out back there was a yellow… blob… on his shoulder. I didn't stare for long.

"Fran, over here, we saved you a seat!" It was Tsuna. I looked over to where my friends from first period sat.

"Hey, we didn't think you were going to make it." Hayato informed me. He was sitting on the aisle side beside Tsuna. I must have looked at him funny because he said, "I'm the tenth's right hand man, so it's only logical that I sit here. I can protect him better this way."

And this guy gets better grades than me? Half the time I never knew what I was talking about.

I looked behind them; there was Yamamoto and an empty seat. He smiled at me and that was all the invitation I needed. As soon as I sat down the bus took off.

"So…" I drawled. "Are you excited?"

"Yeah." He replied, and then thought about it. "But I'm going to miss a really good game this weekend."

"Oh," I have nothing in common with this kid. He loves baseball and I… don't. "That sucks."

I tried to pass the time by thinking, but when thoughts went to subjects I wanted to avoid desperately, I turned to my companion once more.

"You like poetry?"

He looked at me with the closest thing I've ever seen to a startled expression on his face, "No. Why?"

"Well in class I got a glimpse of your poems. They were good. Better than what I wrote down." I was starting to get the feeling that this topic was taboo.

"Oh, that was nothing." He looked away. I think he was embarrassed so I didn't press the matter further.

"Is your favorite color green?"

That question was out of the blue, and then again so was the one I asked. I looked at him, "No, it's pink."

"Oh?" Yamamoto blinked. "Oh. Oh!"

"No." I had to stop him before he got the wrong idea, "I was being sarcastic just then. I don't have a favorite color. Not really."

He nodded in understanding. "Do you like sushi?"

We spent the rest of the hour getting to know each other better. I found out that he really lacks self-confidence. He confided in me that he attempted suicide once after he broke his arm and had to sit out for an entire baseball season. He dabbles in kendo because he wants to learn how to use a sword. I told him that my mother disappeared when I was really young. Without a trace is what the newspapers said. I also told him that I hated frogs so much that I never learned how to swim, because I didn't want to give people the chance to compare me to one anymore than they already did. I didn't tell him about Bel, not like there was much _to _tell, and I got the feeling that there were things he was still keeping from me. He was entitled to his secrets.

Yamamoto was getting really excited, talking about his favorite baseball teams, when Hayato turned around and yelled at him, "Baseball freak will you keep it down? The tenth is trying to sleep!"

Neither of us mentioned that him yelling at us was just as loud, if not louder, than our talking.

"Sorry," Yamamoto said with a sincere smile on his face. I looked into Hayato's seat and sure enough Tsuna was using the window as a pillow.

Hayato, losing steam quickly because Yamamoto gave him nothing to argue with, finally mumbled, "Good, and keep it at this volume."

After the silver haired teen sat back down I looked over at Yamamoto and studied his expression. I see now… interesting.

"Reborn or Dino are you there?" A female voice crackled over the radio. Dino jumped up to get it.

"We're here, what's up Lal Mirch?"

"Fon just told me that Byakuran has called for a rest stop. I'm to pass the news on."

"Got it, thanks." Dino looked at the creepy bus driver. "Did you get that?"

"Yup," Even the man's voice sounded greasy. Gross.

We followed the other buses and pulled into a large rest area. Semi trucks were parked in a row, their drivers most likely asleep. There was a grassy area where people were walking their dogs on leashes. I saw squirrels scramble across the street, completely used to the busy traffic. We all stood as soon as we stopped moving. I think everyone was a little eager to get out.

Outside smelled like coffee and car oil. I could see where they were selling the brown liquid which had gathered a large crowd. I didn't need to use the restroom, so I just walked around, stretching my legs. I saw Basil and Futa off to the side and joined them.

"How art thou today?" That was Basil for you.

"I'm okay." I said as my eyes secretly scanned the crowed, looking for a certain blond. I looked at Futa, "What are you reading today?"

"The Thief Lord." He replied, nose still inside the book.

"Is it any good?"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you."

I turned around to see Hana. "Why not?"

"You'll get an ear full." She noticed my eyes darting about. "Are you looking for someone?"

"Yes." Crap, I said the truth before I had time to lie. It wouldn't happen a second time though and I was ready for her next question.

"Who?"

"Yamamoto."

"I haven't seen him." She shrugged.

"I'm going to go look for him," I said as I jumped into the crowd. The last thing I wanted was for her to follow me so she could help me look.

Another five minutes passed. No luck. Maybe it was for the better.

"Okay everyone!" Byakuran's voice was loud. I looked over to where the sound came from to see that he had a megaphone. "It is time to get back on the buses and go."

"Give that back to me!" Fon made an attempt to get the devise away from the principle. "You went through my stuff to get that!"

The grown man laughed and ran. The other gave chase, though with a more serious demeanor.

"Those two are strange," Skull, the history teacher, commented. Verde, one of the science teachers Viper complains about, turned to the teacher who had his lip pierced, an earring in it that was attached to his ear by a small chain, and asked dryly, "And you're not?"

I looked at where Xanxus, Lussuria, Leviathan, and Squalo gathered. They looked like a bunch of gangsters from the city you would hate to meet in a dark alley. Man, all our teachers were weird. There was not a normal one in the bunch.

"Didn't you hear Byakuran?" Spanner asked Skull and Verde around one of his suckers. "It's time to get on the buses."

I looked over at where the buses were parked. Or where they were parked, now only one remained.

"What the hell!" It sounded like Hayato made the same discovery as I had. "Where did all the other buses go, in fact, when did all the other people leave?"

"Doesn't matter, we brought all our stuff off the bus with us." Yamamoto said, trying to defuse the bomb.

"Yeah but that's our bus, and besides that, I don't see all the kids who rode with us."

"Byakuran, look what you've done now!" Fon, worn out, stopped running. "Now all the kids are mixed up and there's only one bus left."

"How is that my fault?" He crossed his arms over his chest, megaphone still in hand. "This is a conspiracy against me!"

"I could believe that," Fon said under his breath.

"Okay everyone who's still here, it's time to go." Byakuran yelled, through the megaphone, which amplified his voice. Most of us covered our ears as we crumpled to the ground in pain.

6-6-6

The bus was now filled with many more familiar faces, a lot more teachers, and it was way more crowded. It was now three to a seat. Byakuran, Fon, and Squalo sat behind the bus driver. Reborn and Dino sat together, but it seemed that the teacher assistant was no longer on this bus and in his place was Hibari. That was a surprise. Viper, Verde, and Levi, the three science teachers, sat together discussing future labs. Tsuna sat between Spanner and Shoichi from the other day. I waved at him to show him I remembered him. Xanxus sat by Lussuria and Lancia who was the ceramics teacher. Hana, Kyoko, and Haru were all gossiping happily together in the row across from Tsuna's. Basil, Futa, and Lambo sat together. I-pin sat with a girl whose name was Uni and another girl whose name was Chrome. I only knew most of these names because they were either in one of my classes or the others told me about them. Chikusa sat with Mukuro and Ken. I could have predicted that one. Bianchi sat with Genkishi, my senpai's evil math teacher, and Gamma our woodshop teacher. Skull sat with Longchamp and Ginger, who did not look happy to be here. Doctor Shamal sat with Lal Mirch and Colonnello. I sat with Hayato and Yamamoto. In the very back, on each side of the bus, was a blond twin. Bel-senpai was on the bus, but so was Rasiel. At least his butler wasn't here. Ryohei was the last one to get on and sat with Rasiel. He was a fearless guy, or an idiot.

"Man there are too many people here, but no one wants to sit by those two," Hayato jerked his thumb at Bel and Sil. I would have moved to sit with Bel, maybe, but suddenly I felt nervous, though it didn't show.

"See?" I could hear Byakuran say, "Problem solved."

"You call this a solution?" Fon seemed angry but his temper died and he sighed. "At least we all fit."

"That's looking on the bright side Fon! Now let's get this sardine can rolling!" That last bit was directed towards the bus driver. I almost felt sorry for him for a split second, but then it was gone.

"I counted 42 people, with the driver it's 43." Squalo said, standing up even though we were moving. "Fuck, that's a lot of people."

Byakuran and Squalo began backseat driving. It only took twenty minutes after that for the bus driver to claim that we were lost. There was no doubt in my mind that those two had a hand in that.

"I told you to take a left at that last intersection!" Squalo growled.

"He's not a very good driver." Byakuran commented. "Does he even know where we were going?"

"Listen up!" The bus driver yelled, his mouth fat jiggling as he spoke. "You need to sit down and let me drive. Your distractions aren't helping me concentrate!"

"But-" Byakuran began.

"SIT DOWN!" He bellowed.

"Fuck," Sqaulo sat down, pissed. However Byakuran's bottom lip began to tremble in what was clearly a façade but it did the trick. Fon stood up and placed a hand, one that from where I was sitting could tell it would obviously leave a bruise in the shape of a hand, on the bus driver's shoulder. He spoke evenly but his eyes held malice. "Now let's all calm down and take deep breaths."

Out of fear the bus driver obliged, while keeping his eyes on the road, and never looking directly at Fon.

"Good." Fon said very quietly, though I'm not even positive that's what he said. Everyone else on the bus was quiet and watching them but even then it was hard to make it out. "Now you do your job and I'll do mine, keeping Byakuran out of trouble." Fon turned and sat back down.

Silence.

The outside scenery seemed to be going by quicker and quicker. I wasn't the first to notice it, nor the last.

"You're going above the speed limit." Byakuran rightly noted after looking at the bus's speedometer. "Uh sir?"

"Shut up!" The bus driver barked out as he floored the gas pedal. We all flew back into our seats.

It all happened so quickly, but slowly like in those action movies. First I heard the screams of the people in the front of the bus, like the bloodcurdling screams people in the movie Titanic let out knowing that they were going to die. Then I saw the guardrail that we were hurdling towards. The bus tore through the metal as if it were paper. I don't recall ever hearing myself scream before, and I wouldn't hear it now because my voice got stuck in my throat. The ground seemed so far away through the front windshield but it was coming up quickly. I was petrified. I felt something hit the back of my seat. My guess was that it was luggage. Before I died, or passed out, it's hard to differentiate between the two, I thought I felt someone grab onto me but then again maybe not.

Darkness…

Darkness…

Darkness…

Pain.

Darkness.

Damn you eyes, open up!

I could feel my body, which was a good sign, and the only one.

Open.

Open.

Open!

My eyelids fluttered open and I was now awake to a deafening silence. Colors all swirled together and I felt extremely dizzy. Light was coming from somewhere and that was about all I could tell. I slowly pieced colors and patterns together, like a puzzle, until I got an image. Then it all came rushing back. We crashed! I lifted my head to look around when I finally realize why the ground felt weird. I was on top of Belphegor. I might have questioned how I had gotten there in different circumstances but now I was more worried about whether or not he was alive or dead. His chest fell up and down and the alarms in my head shut off. I reached up with a shaky hand and brushed his bangs away from his face. My curiosity was met with closed eyes. You know, he's peaceful and almost sweet looking when he's knocked out cold. I focused all my attention on his face so I wouldn't pass out again.

I jumped out of my skin when I felt hands grab my arms. I looked down at the hands. They belonged to Belphegor, he was awake, and I was staring.

For someone who was twisted and carefree as him he seemed shaken enough, if his eyes were anything to go by. He spoke first, his voice the same as always minus the vulgar, "Fran?" He gave me a slight shake but like an idiot all I could say was, "Your eyes…!"

"What about them?" Some of the rudeness was back once he realized I was okay.

"They're beautiful,"

"Your brain must have rattled around in there more than I thought," Bel tapped his index finger's knuckle against my forehead. It might have been a playful gesture but for the fact that it was Bel-senpai, so it hurt.

I nodded my head in agreement anyways, not paying much attention to the half-baked insult. His eyes were like irises, the flower, with dark purple on the outside and slowly going towards the center it got lighter. There was even a yellowy golden ring near his pupil. They were hard to look away from but I managed to when moans and groans from the others began to sound and reality caught up with me.

"Is everybody okay?" It was Colonnello's voice.

"Fuck,"

"I see Squalo's fine, anyone else?"

6-6-6

The glass from all the windows was shattered and people had to be careful where they placed their limbs. We had to exit out of the back door because the front was damaged and wouldn't open. We gathered ourselves, and our things, and climbed out. Bel-senpai and I were some of the first to set foot outside, Reborn and Colonnello were the ones helping everyone out. We waited in silence, Bel and I, like-minded in thinking it was best not to exchange words. His hair was back in his face but I was secretly glad, this way I would be the only one to know the color of his eyes. I did notice how we stayed together, even after everyone was out. I wondered if it was intentional…

There were less injuries than one would have expected. And as people began talking I got a good idea of how everyone was doing.

"How's your head?" Tsuna asked. He was standing just off to my right.

"It is fine," It was Spanner's voice. I got a better look at him. He stood awkwardly, not sure how to act under such attention.

"But it's bleeding!" Tsuna, panicked like in most situations, and flailed his arms around. "We need a doctor!"

Spanner reached up to see what all the commotion was about, "Damn."

Tsuna looked over at him.

Seeing the brunet stare, the electronics teacher explained, "I found my sucker."

"Someone call a doctor?" Doctor Shamal walked up with a first-aid kit, saw who the patient was and scowled. "I don't treat men."

"It's okay, it was just a sucker," Tsuna gave off a strained laugh that sounded embarrassed.

"Sucker?" Doctor Shamal leaned in close to Spanner to get a better look at it. "Those things will rot your teeth."

He began to walk away when a candy wrapper on the ground, one that had fallen out of Spanner's jumper pocket moments ago, caught his attention. His brow furrowed, "Hey wait a minute… those are one of my suckers I brought along to give to the pretty girls!"

Those guys were fine so my attention drifted over to where Yamamoto, Hayato, and Lambo were gathered.

"Sorry about that," Lambo apologized.

"It wasn't your fault," Yamamoto assured him.

"Like hell it was!" Hayato hollered as he pulled out a cigarette from somewhere on his person. "His stupid bull hat almost took out your eye!"

Before Lambo or Yamamoto could say anything else a shot was heard and the next thing anyone knew Hayato was missing half of his cancer stick.

"Ciao-su" Reborn commented, tilting his fedora to the group.

"Why did you do that?" Hayato asked, temper rising though he would never lash out at Reborn.

"Smoking kills just as many people as guns." Our English teacher pointed out. I'm not sure if that was true but it sounded cool.

"But we're not even in school." Hayato grumbled.

"But second hand smoke is just as bad if not worse than smoking. If you want to poison the lungs of those around you, friends included, then keep it up."

"They can leave if it bothers them," Hayato made a move to draw another.

The subtle sound of a gun being cocked got Hayato's attention. Reborn wasn't smiling, "Let me reword that last statement I made. As your teacher it is my job to protect you. Smoke that stick and it won't be the only thing smoking." He shook his gun so Hayato would get the meaning.

"Tch." Hayato pulled out the pack and tossed it to Reborn who caught it without moving his gun or looking away from his target.

"I knew you would see it my way." Reborn put his gun away. "Since I'm here, have any of you seen Leon?"

Viper, my biology teacher, came up behind Reborn and tapped his shoulder, "I believe _this _belongs to you."

Viper held up our teacher's green chameleon and handed it to him, "He landed on my head. Fantasma wasn't too happy about it."

Fantasma was Viper's pet frog. He's black and slimy. I find it ironic that a biology teacher would carry around their pet frog. He even takes him to class like how Reborn takes Leon. Odd, right? What's even stranger is that almost all the teachers have classroom pets, and some of them are rather unique.

I felt Bel-senpai shift uneasily beside me, "Un-cute kohai, wait here."

"You're not the boss of me."

"If you move I'll cut off all your toes."

"Then I would walk on my hands."

"Then I'd cut out your tongue."

"That doesn't fit with what I just said."

"No, but it would make me just as happy."

"…" I was sure he wasn't joking either. "I'll be here."

I watched him walk away and contemplated leaving the spot I was told to stay in. If I found Squalo he wouldn't let Belphegor hurt me, but then again he wouldn't always be around to protect me. I'd stay, I just wouldn't like it.

"Fran!" It was Lussuria, of all people, and I couldn't walk away. Though now losing my toes didn't seem as bad to me. The overly dressed man skipped over to my side. No, I mean he literally skipped over to me. What a freak. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

A nice freak… but still…

"Damn, you survived."

"Nice to see you too." I turned to Levi and gasped, "What happened to your face?"

"Nothing." He said quickly, his hands searching his face just to make sure. Then he got it. "Why you brat, I'll kill you myself!"

I inwardly tensed up but my appearance kept up my calm demeanor.

"Threatening students isn't very nice," Dino said, coming up behind Levi. Levi glared at him and walked away, Lussuria waved goodbye to me and tagged along with him. Once they were gone Dino smiled at me, "That was an exciting ride, wasn't it?"

"Yeah." I think this was my first time talking to him.

"Well I better go make sure no one else is trying to cause trouble while we deal with this mess." He flashed me a smile and turned to leave when he tripped over his own feet and came crashing down onto a smaller person. "Oof."

Dino picked himself up and looked down, "Sorry about tha-"

"Get off me or I'll bite you to death."

"Hibari, is that you?" Dino asked in a conversational tone. "You didn't get hurt in the crash did you?"

"Die." Hibari, who was wearing his tonfa, began to attack Dino. The older man got smacked in the head a few times, and in the chest, before getting kicked off.

"Chrip chrip." A small yellow bird flew into Dino's hair, and Hibari immediately stopped halfway through his next attack. He regarded the bird, and put down his weapons.

"You live for another day, herbivore." Hibari walked away and Dino chased after him clumsily bumping into people yelling, "But I eat meat!"

"I'm fine you guys," It was a female's voice.

"So am I." Now I knew I recognized that voice. It was Mukuro's from second period.

I looked over my shoulder to see Ken and Chikusa fussing over them. They must be really close friends. I see them eat together at lunch all the time.

"It's ruined."

"What is?" I found myself asking before I even knew who said that.

Lal Mirch, who must have not realized she had been talking to herself, looked over at me, "Oh… it's nothing."

"Did you draw that?" I noted the piece of paper she clenched in her hands. It had an elaborate sketch on it.

"Yes."

"But it's ruined?" I probed.

"It got blood on it."

"You're hurt?" I looked at her, besides the scars on her face from a past injury she seemed in good health.

"It's not mine."

"Whose is it?" I thought back to who was sitting by her. I saw the doctor earlier so it had to be… "Is it Colonnello's?"

"Yes." She suddenly crumpled up her paper. "Why am I talking to you, there are things that I should be doing."

She walked off in a brisk pace and I was all alone. Everyone else seemed so far away. Lancia was helping Genkishi carry out the unconscious bus driver when I saw Colonnello. His bandana had been pulled down lower than usual and I could just make out a large red stain above his eye. That must have been where he was hurt. Haru was sitting on the ground with Kyoko and Ryohei. They were looking at their stuff. My guess was to make sure nothing was damaged. That reminded me of my own bag. It sat at my feet but I was in no mood to go opening it after it took forever to close it.

Futa was reading one of his books and Basil was reading over his shoulder. Hana and I-pin were not far from them trying to get a stain out of Longchamp's clothes with a wet washcloth and some soap. Verde was complaining about his chipped glasses to Skull who didn't seem to care. Bianchi was talking to Ginger about some cooking tips. Anyone who would want to take her advice on cooking would have to be crazy, or a teacher's pet.

Uri, a sweet girl who was in my math class, was helping pass out water bottles. She offered one to Gamma and an exchange of words passed between the two. I'm not sure what was said but they both seemed happy. Speaking of happy people… where was Byakuran?

Bel-senpai was taking too long so I decided the threat no longer held. Once I had gotten closer to everyone I saw our principle and Shoichi. I headed over to them.

"Fon's mad at me," Byakuran sighed and rested his head in the palm of his hand.

"This isn't your fault." Shoichi shrugged. "Accidents happen."

"He'll blame it on me." Byakuran insisted. "And he'll ignore me, which he knows I hate."

"I'll still talk to you." Shoichi said, a little too quickly if you ask me. Wasn't it just yesterday he was telling me Byakuran was evil? I stopped walking towards them. Something smelled fishy and it wasn't the tuna Squalo brought for Xanxus either.

Byakuran looked at Shoichi, and then he playfully ruffled his hair, "You're such a good kid, Shoichi. But still…"

He sighed again.

"I hate to break up this pity party you're throwing, Byakuran, but you're the principle and I think it's time you address everyone." Fon said, not in the least bit looking pissed at Byakuran, well no more so than usual. When he was away from the white-haired man Fon was really calm and pleasant, there was just something about Byakuran that made his personality do a 180.

"Why don't you do it?" Byakuran suggested. "You make up better speeches than I do."

"And what will you do?"

"Sit here and watch you."

Fon tilted his head slightly down, as if arranging his face, and came up smiling, "If that's what you want."

"It's about time you pull your weight around here, vice principle Fon."

"Attention everyone!" Fon called. He didn't need to use his megaphone, and even if he did I had a sneaking suspicion Byakuran still had it.

Byakuran confirmed it when he used it to yell, "You tell them Fon!"

"Quiet please," Everyone hushed down. I finally saw Bel-senpai in the crowd. He saw me too. It was hard to read his emotions other then content, pissed off, happy, super happy, and twisted happy. Whatever he was thinking I now knew I was in trouble. At the moment his smile was extra large, twisted happy.

"There's only been a few injuries reported, if you have one and haven't gotten it looked at please do so immediately. The bus has hit a tree, as you can all see."

The front of the bus looked like a U where it hit the tree and was still currently wrapped around its trunk. The tree didn't fare much better and was splitting down the side. If anyone was worried about the bus exploding, or the tree falling, they didn't show it.

"We are too far out of range to get any signals on our cell phones and the climb back to the road would be rather difficult." Or everyone was just too lazy. "It looks like our trip to the science center has changed into a wilderness survival field trip. It's a good thing we packed to camp out doors. The extra tents were not stored on this bus, however, so unless you brought a tent you might be sleeping under the stars tonight. Let's hope it doesn't rain."

That got everyone's attention.

"We're going to set up camp a ways away from here because of all the shattered glass. Please gather your things and follow me." Fon began leading the way and everyone started to follow.

I lingered behind, and wanting to avoid being alone with Belphegor, I made an attempt to get closer to Reborn, Lambo, and Spanner who also seemed to be staying behind.

"Do you think you could fix it?" Reborn asked Spanner.

"I don't know, I would have to get under the hood, and even though I brought my tools along it might be impossible to fix without new parts. It's a shame the radio was smashed to pieces, otherwise I could have fixed it no problem." Spanner had a new sucker in his mouth. I knew it wasn't the same one because the red one was still in his blond locks.

Reborn noticed the sucker, "Spanner what's with the sucker, saving it for later?"

"Something like that."

Before I could reach them a hand clamped on my shoulder. Crap. "You found me. Does this mean I'm it now?"

"I thought I told the frog not to move." He didn't sound happy. I kind of thought he wouldn't.

"You were taking too long."

"And you're impatient."

"I don't deny that."

"You do know what this means, don't you?"

Damn, I was hoping to avoid this. "I rather like my toes."

"Fran, are you coming?" Lambo asked. It seemed Bel and I were in the process of being left behind. That would have ended in a bloody mess.

In a hushed voice I asked, "Are we going?"

"Shi shi shi, why not? I can always punish you later." Bel-senpai let go at that moment and we followed the others, like ants, to our new destination.

6-6-6

We ended up walking farther than I expected we would because there was no clearing large enough to fit such a big group. No matter what, it appeared that personal space was a luxury that we wouldn't be getting. Normally, moving away from a crash would be a risky move, because someone might see it and come to your aid, but the road we had been on was hardly ever used, so the chances of that happening would have been slim.

When Fon finally found an area that would accommodate to our needs he stopped. The area was surrounded by trees, an expected result when being in a forest. The grass was long, slightly brown, and wet underneath. The patch of sky above us showed only blue. "This looks like a good place. Find a spot for your things and gather around."

I sat my backpack down by my feet. I opened up one of the side pockets and pulled out my bug spray. I sprayed myself, then my bag, because I didn't want to find bugs in my stuff. I didn't bother putting it away and just placed it in my pant's pocket, it was just a small container after all. Once I was done with that I moved in closer to Fon.

"Has anyone ever been camping before?" Fon asked our group.

A few hands went up.

"In a forest like this with limited supplies?"

All the hands went down.

Fon didn't seem surprised, "We need to set up camp before it gets dark. I'm going to break you off into teams based off of what I think you're capable of. If you have any problems with your team take it to Reborn."

That meant that there better not be any problems.

"Let's get started." Fon clapped his hands together. "Hibari and Genkishi, I want you guys to search the surrounding area. Just in case there's a settlement nearby. Note things like rivers or lakes."

"Can I go too!" Dino asked, waving his hand rapidly so Fon would see him in the crowd.

"I think it's best that you stay at camp with your condition." Fon saw the disappointment on the blond's face but went back to business. "Squalo, I want you to take Gamma, Yamamoto, and Lambo to see if you can't find some logs for us to sit on."

Sqaulo looked over at Yamamoto, who took his leadership class during third period, then at the other two. "They'll do."

"Lal Mirch, Hana, and Basil, I want you to get an idea of all the supplies we currently have. Ryohei and Tsuna I want you to work on making a fire pit."

"Where do you want it to be?" Tsuna asked.

"Somewhere in the middle," Fon indicated an area with a wave of his hand. "Now we need fire wood. I want five teams on that because we want this done and out of the way. Fran you're with Hayato. Belphegor you're with Lussuria. Lancia I want you to go with Viper. Colonnello and Shoichi can look together. Chrome, you and Uni can look for twigs."

"Goodie!" Lussuria said, magically appearing beside Belphegor.

Relief washed over me like water from my showerhead and my shoulders relaxed. I wouldn't have to be with Bel-senpai when he's mad at me.

"Bianchi, Ginger, and Kyoko, you're on cooking duty." Fon continued. "I can't really think of what else we need. Anyone have any ideas?"

Byakuran raised his hand.

"Any good ideas?" Fon asked.

Byakuran glared at him.

"Fine, what is it Byakuran?"

"I'm hungry."

Fon sighed, "Okay everyone get on your task. For everyone who is remaining I'm sure we can find something for you to do."

As I turned to go I noticed Fon pull out a bag of chips from his personal belongings and handed it over to Byakuran who greedily stuffed the salty treat into his mouth. I also couldn't help but notice the content expression on Fon's face.

Hayato and I met at the edge of the clearing.

"How are you doing Fran?" He asked as soon as I got within earshot.

It occurred to me we hadn't really talked after the crash, and I had been sitting in the same seat as him and Yamamoto. "I'm okay. A little freaked out but I recover fast. How about you?"

"Same," We entered the forest. "I was surprised when I didn't see you in the seat with us. What happened to you?"

My eyes scanned the ground for good size pieces of wood. "I'm not a hundred percent sure myself."

"Well it's a good thing you weren't there," Hayato pushed a lively green tree branch from his path so he could get through. "All the glass from our window landed where you would have been, both Yamamoto and I were squished together, and Lambo's bull hat came flying into our seat. It almost hit the baseball freak in the face. He's lucky I was there or else it would have."

I'm sure he was feeling lucky, but for other reasons.

We hadn't picked up any wood yet, and I was beginning to feel lazy, so I grabbed a dead branch off the ground. The thing was about the length of my arm and I had to be careful not to hit Hayato with it.

"So you and Yamamoto are good friends?" I asked.

"No. We were brought together through a third party, Tsuna. The only reason I hang out with the baseball freak is because he's Tsuna's friend, but I don't agree with their friendship."

"You could never tell all that by looking at you two." I said without much thought as I contemplated if Hayato was jealous. Question was, of whom?

"Well I must be a really good actor."

Or a really bad liar. While I was here, I figured I might as well put in a good word for the guy. "After riding on the bus with Yamamoto I think I understand him better."

"What's there to understand? All he thinks about is baseball."

"He talks about you with high regards."

"Why would he even be talking about me?" Hayato picked up a stick and began to whack the grass with it.

I shrugged but I don't think he saw it, "He told me how he met Tsuna, and you. He also mentioned how it was because of Tsuna that you guys began to hang out, but unlike you, he thinks you're one of his closest friends."

"Well he's an oblivious freak."

"He's not the only oblivious one." I mumbled under my breath. Hayato either didn't hear it, or ignored it.

"Did he say anything else about me?" Hayato asked after awhile.

"Like what?"

"Never mind." Hayato began walking quicker. A good thing too or else he would have seen me smirking. It's funny to see two people who are so perfect for each other be completely oblivious about the other's feelings as well as their own. Suddenly my nose got tingly and I only had a moment to bring up my arm before I sneezed.

"Achoo!"

Hayato turned around, "You okay?"

"Yeah," I brought my arm down. "Someone must have been talking about me."

6-6-6

We had been walking around for a good two hours, at least, and my arms were getting tired carrying the wood.

"Can we take a break?" I asked Hayato, who was no longer visible, because I couldn't look over the stack of wood.

"Sure, I was just thinking the same thing."

We both sat our loads down, as well as ourselves.

It felt like we had been walking around in circles, enough so that I was beginning to feel dizzy.

"We're lost." I declared.

"No we're not." Hayato insisted. "It's just over that hill."

"I don't remember going down any hills."

"Well then maybe," Hayato looked around. "Maybe it's just through those trees."

"We just came from there." I reminded him.

"Damn it, we're lost!" Hayato threw his back to the ground so he was looking up at the sky. "It's getting late. Soon the sun will start to set."

"Has it really been that long?" I rested my arms on my knees, clasped my hands together, and hung my head. I sighed. "Should we try yelling? Someone might hear us."

"Man I really don't want to. What would the tenth think if he knew I was so incapable I got lost?"

"Well I rather live down the embarrassment than continue to be lost." I brought my head up and look at him. "Besides I'm sure everyone will be worried about us if we don't show up soon."

"You're right." He got up and cupped his hands around his mouth.

After yelling our throats dry, and our voices hoarse, we had to resign our calls for help. It seemed unlikely that we were too far for anyone to hear us, but that's what the facts were telling us.

I grabbed us my pile of sticks, "I guess we should keep moving."

We had waited long enough for anyone who was really far away to find us.

Hayato followed my lead and we began to try to make our way back.

As I walked I felt like I was in a daze. My feet kept lifting themselves, but I gave no thought to them, or the direction I was going in, as if I were one of Spanner's Moska robots with programmed instructions. No matter where I looked the trees were the same, like Mother Nature had copied and pasted them onto her landscape. Shadows, dark blankets of nothing, grew longer as the sun went farther downward.

I was too busy thinking of metaphors and comparisons to pay attention when the ground fell away from my feet. I could hear Hayato behind me and at once knew he was in the same boat, whatever that was.

Once the dirt settled, and my eyes could make out the odd shapes they were seeing, I finally understood what happened. Walls of earth surrounded us, and the sky looked down on us mockingly. We were in a hole.

"Gah," Hayato held his stomach where he had landed on one of the sticks.

"Are you okay?" The hole wasn't very big. All our gathered firewood was at our feet, and we were about an arm's width apart.

"Where did this hole come from?" Hayato looked up. There was a good distance between us and the surface.

"I think it's a dried up well." I held up a bucket with a piece of broken rope attached to it so he could see. "But what is a well doing all the way out here?"

"Fuck if I know." Hayato snapped. Then immediately he said, "Sorry Fran, I didn't mean to bite off your head."

"You biting off my head is the least of my worries,"

Hayato nodded his head. "Stand back,"

Hayato tried jumping up multiple times, but he always fell several feet short. He tried using the bucket, but it did nothing to help. When he stopped jumping about I asked, "Does this mean you give up?"

He looked over at me, was about to say something, when his eyes grew wide. He smacked himself on the forehead, "Duh! I can't believe I didn't think about it before."

"New idea?"

"Fran!"

"Yes?"

"Who do you think is stronger, you or me?"

"Are you picking on me?" I've always felt my figure to be lacking muscle mass, and it has always bothered me, but to have someone point it out…

"Well?" He insisted.

"You are."

"Yeah, that's what I was thinking too."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I need you to get on top of me."

"…"

Hayato rolled his eyes at me, "I need you to get on my shoulders. Both of our heights are bound to be tall enough."

Oh. That made sense.

Hayato kneeled down, "Start on your knees, then after I'm standing, you stand up."

I wasn't going to verbally voice my objection to this. It would be awkward, the position. I sucked up my complaints and climbed onto Hayato's shoulders. My hands braced the soil of the wall, which felt cool to my touch, as he stood up. For a moment I thought I would fall backwards, but Hayato grabbed onto my knees, keeping me on.

"When you're ready," He called up.

I took a steady breath, and reached my hands up farther. I dug into the wall with my fingertips, sending some dirt falling down onto Hayato's silvery hair. "Sorry."

Slowly, I moved one of my legs so that my foot replaced my knee. I pushed up on it, and when the time was appropriate, my other leg straightened out. With both of my feet planted on Hayato's shoulders I began to sway.

"Can you reach?" Hayato asked through his clenched teeth.

I was about a foot away from the top. I snaked my right hand up and grasped the rim of the hole. I made sure I was holding onto something sturdy, like the remains of the bricks that used to surround the well, before moving my other hand. Once I was sure I had it, I called down, "I'm there. I'm going to try and pull myself up."

Using all the upper arm strength that I had, which was a lot more than I made it sound, I managed to get my feet off of Hayato, and my torso aboveground. My feet kicked as I wiggled, trying to get the rest of me up. The grass I held onto cut my fingers as I slid back. I lurched forward in an attempt to grab onto a tree root. I missed, but was successful in getting more of me out of the hole. My legs came next and soon I was completely free.

I turned around and stared at Hayato's face, "Now what?"

"I don't think you're strong enough to pull me out even if you find something that would reach me." Hayato called up. "You should go get help."

I felt helpless as I called back to him, "But I don't know where camp is. We're lost, remember?"

"Keep looking for them."

"What about you?"

"I'm not going anywhere."

"Even if I find camp, how will I get them to you? I doubt if I know how to get back to this place."

"Get going already. Don't worry about it." Hayato came off in a cool manner but I had a feeling he was just as worried as I was.

"I'll be back then." I turned around, and scanned the area. I needed to find my way back, but how would I do that?

So much responsibility placed on my shoulders. Ugh. I began walking in the direction we had been heading in. This time I made sure I was aware of where I put my feet as I walked. I heard the sound of water and I followed it to a small stream. I looked at the water, I knew it wouldn't be safe to drink, but instead splashed water on my face to get rid of the dirt. I also washed off my hands. Once I was done I regarded my reflection. Was it really just this morning I was looking at myself in the mirror? It seemed like forever ago but it hadn't even been 24 hours yet. My reflection blinked back at me, my long and abnormally shaped eyelashes made my eyes look feminine. For some reason my reflection looked smug, though I knew that was impossible, it still pissed me off. "Like you know which direction camp is."

I dropped a rock into the stream, the imaged rippled, and I stepped away before the water calmed. I was wasting precious time when Hayato was stuck in a well.

After walking around I found myself completely lost, still. I was getting no where this way.

"Hello?" I called out. "Is anyone there?"

No reply.

"I'm lost!" I shouted louder.

That's when I hear the faint sound of a twig being snapped. I looked ahead, and the outline of a familiar figure emerged from the trees. The fading light lit up his blond hair, and his crown. "You're lost? He he he he he. Well that's unfortunate, for you."

Shit was an understatement. A wisp of fear began growing in the pit of my stomach, and even though I pride myself on not showing emotions, I could feel my face twitch to match my feelings. I didn't think an exchange of witty words would do any good, so instead I saved my breath and ran. I'm sure that wasn't the most intelligent thing to do, but the fear had grown into out right terror. I could hear him behind me, his footfalls, his laughter, and his breath. It reminded me of the last time we had encountered each other, but this time we were in a forest. There was no one around who could help me this time.

I felt his hand latch onto my arm and I came to an immediate halt. I didn't look back at him, but I could feel him staring at me.

"As much as I enjoy the game of cat and mouse we really must stop meeting like this." He tugged me around and shoved me back. I came into contact with a tree and figured that it was what he had been aiming for. This way I couldn't run away as easily.

"So Fran how's my shitty little brother?" Rasiel had me pinned by my shoulders. I stared at where his eyes were, imagining the same color as Belphegor's, but where Bel's were pretty, his were cruel.

"Not going to talk?" He laughed. "Doesn't matter, I'll make you scream."

My throat went dry.

Rasiel grabbed the top of my jacket, and leisurely began undoing buttons, as if he had all the time in the world. I tried sinking into the tree trunk, or at least my jacket, trying to put as much distance between us as possible. My hands were free, as were my arms. I could try and push him away, then run. I could kick him below the belt, and run. But I didn't. Nothing would move. It was like standing in front of that semi truck all over again, but that time Bel-senpai saved me. Come to think of it, so far, Belphegor had always come to save me, unless he was what I needed saving from.

My jacket fell open with the last button freed. I shivered, but it wasn't because of the cold air that rushed in.

"Nothing personal," Rasiel smirked at me. "I'm just trying to get back at my brother, but don't get me wrong, I _will _enjoy this."

Rasiel reached into his pants pocket and pulled out that ever familiar knife. Then he pulled up his shirt, on his belly were scars, a whole bunch of them. "Guess who gave these to me?"

It was Belphegor, no question about it.

He let go of his shirt and pulled up mine. I tried to jerk back but the tree was in the way.

"What do you think Belphegor would say to seeing you with the same scars as mine?"

"I don't know, but I can tell you he'd never see it." My voice was under control enough to have its normal tone now all the shakiness had gone down to my legs.

Rasiel stopped, just before he cut into the soft skin of my belly. "What do you mean by that?"

"When is Bel-senpai ever going to see me without my shirt on?"

His toothy grin fell, "You mean you don't-"

"NO!" I didn't know what he was going to say, but I had a feeling I didn't want to hear what that was.

"Well that could put a damper on my revenge." He smiled down at me, "New plan, and I think I'll enjoy this one more than I would have the last."

He reached up without warning and pulled my jacket off my shoulders. It hung at my elbows, impairing the movement of my arms. He fisted a clump of my hair with one hand, and tilted my head to the side. He placed his other hand on my chest, forcing me back against the tree. I couldn't see his face anymore, only what was to the side of us.

"Ah." I gasped as I felt Rasiel bite down on the exposed flesh of my neck. I could feel him tug at it, as if trying to rip a chunk of meat off a steak. He pulled away, and bit down again, only this time at another angle. His lips ghosted over my jugular and to the other side of my neck, his breath leaving a burning sensation in its wake. His mouth moved up to my ear, tickling my nerves, and blew into it. I lashed out with my leg as my body reacted to the sudden increase in sexual attention. I managed to hit Rasiel in the knee but not hard enough to do any good. He let go of my hair, and with the hand that had been used to keep me against the tree, smacked me across the face.

My head snapped to the side and my vision blurred. For a second I thought I was crying from the pain if the water leaking from my eyes were anything to go by. The salty drops of water, that didn't seem to stop flowing, managed to make its way down to my jaw before Rasiel wrenched my head, so that the side he had been working on was accessible once more. "Try that again and I'll gut you like a fish."

My thoughts almost bubbled into hysteria at the threat. At the mention of fish, I thought that I would much rather be fishing with my dad, than be here.

Satisfied with no more attempts of rebellion from me, he settled back to work. His lips brushed against my earlobe, making me jump. My small movement didn't go unnoticed by Rasiel, and he milked the new information. My earlobe was now under assault. Just like my neck he nibbled it, pulled at it, and sucked on it. He stuck his tongue into my ear, wiggling it about, getting his saliva everywhere. Its disgusting sounds were magnified which added to my displeasure. While his upper organ raped my ear in a sense, his lower organ got increasingly harder against my thigh.

I kept my teeth clenched, afraid of some incoherent thing I might say. My fingers curled into my palm, leaving half circle impressions of my nails.

Getting bored of my ear, Rasiel pulled away. He seemed pleased with the results of his work so far, my resistance must have not been impressive. His hands had moved back to my shoulders. Even though I couldn't see his eyes, I could tell what he was now staring at, the top of my pants. I didn't think he was staring at them because he wanted a pair just like them either.

As dread filled my heart, I lost control of my voice. "Wait-!" I sounded pretty pathetic, all apathetic erased from my voice, and another batch of tears on the way.

"Why don't you carry some wood?"

"You can't expect a prince to do menial labor."

"OH MY GOD FRAN!" The flamboyant drama teacher, Lussuria, shrieked as he stepped out of a nearby thicket of trees. He dropped his bundle of sticks onto the ground to raise his hands to his face. I guess I wasn't looking so hot, with tear stains on my face, my clothes slightly askew, and Rasiel looming over me.

"Fuck, it wasn't funny the first five times, it's not funny now. Do you want to die?"

My heart skipped a beat as Belphegor joined Lussuria in the clearing. I don't think I had ever been so happy to see him before. He was like an angel when he stepped out into the orange glow of the fading light, the darkness of the forest washed from his features. His head turned to where Lussuria was gaping at.

Belphegor turned around, "Come on Lussuria, we can go a different way back to camp."

"You're just going to leave Fran?" Lussuria looked surprised.

"Bhahaha," Rasiel burst out laughing.

"Belphegor!" My monotone less voice called out to him. My emotions poured out along with the words; fear, anger, confusion, hurt, and desperation.

Belphegor turned back around, "Why do I always have to look after Fran?" He placed his hand over his face, frustrated, but a smile showed through the cracks between his fingers. He whipped out a knife faster than it took me to blink, and threw it faster than Rasiel could dodge.

Rasiel let go of me, and twisted his body just in time, so when he brought out his own knife, it reflected Bel-senpai's attack.

While my attacker was distracted, I shouldered my jacket up so that it was no longer hindering my movements.

Belphegor charged forward, knife at the ready. His twin met him with vigor halfway.

"I'd like to thank you," Belphegor said as he parried the other's knife. "You've finally given me a reason to kill you."

"You're mistaken," Rasiel sidestepped. "Your blood is going to be the one spilt."

I used my hands to push myself off of the tree and tried to sprint over to where Lussuria was standing. Rasiel must have seen the movement from the corner of his eye, because he caught my wrist and pulled me back. He underestimated me though; I had already predicted that he would do this. I pulled out my bug spray, the one I had used earlier, and sprayed it at his face. He had closed his mouth in time, but some of it must have gotten into his eyes through his thick bangs, because he let go of me and staggered backwards.

Before Belphegor could kill him, and he really wanted to, Lussuria grabbed both of us by the backs of our clothes. "I think it's time to go."

"But-" Belphegor was about to argue, but seemed to come to his senses when Rasiel tried to pull out another scalpel. Bel kicked him in the stomach, sending him into the tree he had trapped me to, and all three of us began to run.

It wasn't until we were a good distance away that I stopped running. Lussuria, the first to notice my absence, stopped. "Need to rest Fran?"

I was pretty winded but that wasn't why I stopped. I looked up into the sky. While we were running the sun had completely fallen away. "Hayato!"

"What about him?" Lussuria asked.

"He's trapped in an old well."

"Where is it at?" Lussuria asked.

"I'm not sure. We were lost and we both fell in." I looked behind us, at the direction we had come from. "All I know is that it's in that direction. I was looking for camp when I ran into…"

"It's already dark too," Lussuria snapped his fingers, "I got it! I'll go look for Hayato while you two head back to camp."

"What?" We both voiced our complaints.

"Rasiel isn't after my blood," Lussuria said in a matter-of-fact way. "Besides, someone has to report back to camp and tell them what's going on."

"I guess." He made sense. Damn him.

Lussuria was about to run off in the opposite direction as us when he called over his shoulder, "Now you two behave!"

The moment he left I could feel the awkward tension in the air. It was almost pitch black now.

"You're going to have to lead the way." I finally said. "I don't know where camp is."

Belphegor began walking, and I followed two steps behind him.

Belphegor said something, but it was too quiet for me to hear it. "What was that?"

He swore under his breath, "Are you hurt?"

"No-"

"Good," He cut me off. "I'm going to be the one to kill you."

"So you keep telling me."

"Do you doubt me?"

"No. You are going to be the death of me." Slowly killing me from the inside.

"You have really bad luck, always running into trouble."

"I know. It's like someone has a sick pleasure in watching me suffer, besides you." I sighed, my hair fell into my face, and I ran into a tree.

Belphegor looked back at me. "Shi shi shi."

"It's dark, I can't see."

"I can see just fine." Belphegor said smugly.

"Your hair is covering your eyes, how can you see through that and the dark?" I asked, curious and annoyed.

"Skill."

"Bull shit."

"Are you calling me, a prince, a liar?" He laughed.

"No, I'm calling you an honest saint." I said sarcastically.

"I can prove it."

"What, that you can see in this darkness?" I waved my hand in the air, but I couldn't see the motion.

"Yes."

"Fine, then prove it." I'd like to see him try. Problem was though that I couldn't see.

"If I can lead you to camp without running into anything, I think that will be proof enough."

"Fine."

"Grab my hand."

"What?"

"How else do you suppose I lead you, if you can't even see a tree that's rooted to the ground, how do you suppose you'll be able to follow me a moving figure?"

"I'm not going to hold your hand." I deadpanned.

"You can do that," Bel said, "Or I can kill you here."

"Is there a third choice?"

"You can commit suicide."

"Where's your hand?"

"Here."

"I can't see where 'here' is." I groped around in front of me trying to find it.

My hand was suddenly filled with warmth, a light pressure wrapped around it like a protective barrier. It moved forward with a yank. "Come on."

Walking hand in hand through the forest at night made it near impossible to be more than a few feet apart at any given moment, so I found myself walking right beside Belphegor.

He stopped me, "There's a small drop off here. Watch your step, because if you fall and take me down with you, I'll kill you."

I used my foot to judge the distance and stepped down.

There were a few minutes of silence then Belphegor broke it by saying, "You were really a ways out here."

"I guess. Why were you guys out that far?"

I could feel his arm lift up and assumed he shrugged.

Belphegor stopped.

"Something wrong?" I asked when he didn't say anything.

"Why aren't you hurt?"

"Excuse me?"

"How long were you with Rasiel?"

"I don't know. I don't have a watch."

"It only would take him a second to do serious damage." He mused out loud. "Did the frog lie to me?"

"No." I immediately denied, then asked. "Lie about what?"

"Are you hurt?"

"No, I already told you that."

"What exactly happened then?"

"Does it matter?"

"Yes."

I sighed. "He was going to give me the same scars that you gave him."

"Why didn't he?"

"I told him that you would never see me with my shirt off."

"Oh?"

"…"

"What happened after that?" Belphegor dropped that other topic, for now.

"You came."

"But you were crying, so something must have happened."

"You could be mistaken."

"What's that on your neck?"

"Wow, you really can see well in the dark."

"So you're not going to tell me?"

I looked over at where I thought he was standing, "I would rather not."

"I'm over here," Belphegor lifted my head with the side of his index finger and tilted it in the right direction. There was a gap in the clouds that gathered around the moon, and I could momentarily see him. He was a lot closer than I realized. His lips were in a straight line, a sober expression. "Did he kiss you?"

"No," I said breathlessly.

"Fran, do you still have virgin lips?" As the clouds began to once again cover up the moon, a shadow fell across Bel, giving his face a menacing edge.

"You make that sound perverted." I said. The magical effect the glow of the moon had cast upon me was gone with its light.

"So it's true." He let go of my face.

"And you're happy about that?" He didn't say anything but I got a vibe telling me I was right. "So it's okay if your twin pillages my body as long as he doesn't kiss me?"

I don't think I used pillage correctly, but it sounded good.

"Well as far as I know he just gave you a hickey."

"He did more than that."

"Like?"

"Well he-" I stopped myself. "You almost got me there, clever Bel-senpai."

"You've said enough already."

"Have I?"

"He molested you to the point of tears."

"No, the tears really came from when he smacked me." I tugged on his hand. "Can we keep going?"

Belphegor began leading once more, but he wouldn't let the conversation die. "You seem pretty chipper for someone who just got molested."

"I'm freaked out on the inside." I assured him. Besides it wasn't too bad, it could have been a lot worse.

"I wish I could see it." He commented dreamily.

"What, me freaking out?"

"No, your insides."

"I should have known."

Suddenly the darkness was pushed back and a wave of light and sound engulfed us. I looked up ahead to see the clearing where we had decided to make camp. They had a huge fire going.

"We made it," I breathed out, feeling exhausted.

"Told you."

"So you did."

"What's my prize?" Bel inquired.

I looked over at him, "I didn't know I had to give you one."

He frowned.

"Okay, okay, I'll see if I have something in my backpack, after we talk to Byakuran."

We closed the remaining distance with our hands to ourselves, I was almost sad to have the warm feeling disappear. When I stepped onto the field I noticed a huge difference. Three tents were set up near the edge of the clearing. The fire was surrounded by a circle of large rocks, and fallen logs, with complimentary mushrooms growing on them. There were cooking supplies spread around ready for use. People's things were all put into one area, so they wouldn't be in the way. The bus driver was still out cold and laying off to the side of the fire.

"Fran!" Tsuna came running over to me, almost tripping on his shoelaces. "Where have you been? We went looking for you and Hayato but when it began to get dark we had to call in all the search parties."

"But a few people never even came back the first time." Byakuran looked over my head in Belphegor's direction. So was that what happened?

"Where is Hayato?" Yamamoto asked, pushing his way through our friends who had gathered around.

"He-"

"Is right here!" Lussuria called, waving to us. Hayato was unconscious and was being carried by him.

"Hayato!" Everyone gasped, Yamamoto the loudest.

"Relax," Bianchi said coming up behind Lussuria. "He just passed out when my mask fell."

Everyone gave a sigh of relief. So all it was was that he saw her face.

"Now everyone is back." Byakuran clapped his hands together. "Does this mean you'll start cooking dinner?" That question was directed at Bianchi.

"Sure thing."

At that everyone scattered.

Lussuria laid Hayato down, and Yamamoto was happy to offer his lap as a pillow. Tsuna, understanding that I didn't want to answer questions at the moment, went back to sit by the fire. Beside him, Spanner was busy fiddling around with mechanical parts. My guess would be that they came from the bus. Byakuran was discussing dinner ideas with Bianchi, and Fon was trying to pull him away to discuss important matters concerning everyone. When Fon finally did succeed, Bianchi went to talk to Dr. Shamal about a small injury on Hayato. Shoichi had found a patch of dirt and was drawing in it with a stick. Squalo was preparing a spit for some of the meat he had brought, Xanxus was standing over him as he worked, asking for seafood instead. Futa was reading one of his books out loud to Basil, and Longchamp. Ryohei was practicing boxing. Uni was helping Gamma try to make wooden plates with just a knife and a chunk of wood. Gamma was the woodshop teacher after all, and if anyone was able to do it, it would be him. Haru and Kyoko were busy preparing to cook. Colonnello was trying to convince Lal Mirch to get out of the tent and join everyone. She liked being alone a lot of the time. Ken was trying to make Chrome laugh, while Mukuro and Chikusa just sat beside them, observing people like how I was. Skull and Verde were discussing the fire.

"You should have let me start it," Skull was saying.

"They were my glasses that we used." Verde pointed out.

"But you started it off center."

"So? It's all in flames."

Skull rolled his eyes, "Yeah, but now some of the logs will burn to ashes faster than others."

"Your point?"

"It will fall and be lopsided."

"You just wanted to start the fire."

"…"

"I'll let you next time." Verde finally grumbled.

Skull looked happy at that. The fire reflected off his leather outfit, making his body look shiny. He had a motorcycle helmet that went with it, he road to school everyday, but it was with his pile of stuff on the ground.

I noticed Hibari sitting in the branches of one of the trees. At first it looked like he was acting as a lookout, but he had headphones in his ear, and it was turned up so loud I could hear the school's anthem from where I was standing. I thought it was odd, but then I noticed Dino sitting at the base of the tree, his head resting on his knees. Hibari must be ignoring him. I also so that yellow little bird nestled on the branch, so I deduced that it was Hibari's pet.

Lussuria was chitchatting Levi's ear off, and the image of his ear actually falling off made me smile. Hm, maybe some of Bel's twisted personality is rubbing off on me…

Reborn was asleep against a log with his fedora pulled down over his eyes, Leon resting on top of it, but his hand was still on the trigger of his gun. Lambo, who was an arm's width apart from Reborn, was mimicking his position. It was hard to tell, but I think he was asleep as well. I noticed Rasiel was off to the side of camp. So, Byakuran had been correct in saying that everyone was here. Not like it mattered. With everyone here I felt safe. I-pin was teaching Hana some Chinese. They seemed to be having fun. Genkishi was leaning up against a tree, glaring at everyone, though I was beginning to think that it was his default expression. Ginger, who Bianchi had put in charge of asking everyone whether or not they had food allergies, was trying to ask Genkishi. I could tell he would be at that for awhile.

Lancia was laying in the grass, looking up. Viper walked up to him.

"The clouds are gone." Viper commented. Lancia had been cloud watching when the sun was still up.

"I know," Lancia looked to see who had come to bother him. "I'm looking at the stars."

Viper looked up, "They are a lot brighter here."

"Yeah,"

Viper began walking towards the woods.

"Where are you going?"

Viper turned around and held up Fantasma, "He's hungry."

"You shouldn't go out into the forest by yourself." Lancia said, sitting up on his elbows

"I'm good at finding people," Viper began walking again.

"How will that help if you get lost?" Lancia called after him.

"If I get lost, I'll think of you, and know which way camp is." Viper said before the shadows absorbed him, the only evidence that showed he hadn't been swallowed by the darkness completely, was his voice, "So stay here."

Lancia, who had been about to get up, fell back down to the ground.

"Why are you just standing there?" Belphegor poked me in the forehead. "Did the Frog's tiny brain stop working?"

"What do you want?"

Belphegor smiled, "How soon you forget about my prize."

Oh yeah. "Fine I'll get you something."

I walked over to where my backpack should have been, hypothetically, but it was hard to imagine where it would be in the massive pile of stuff. Bel joined me, and as if he were a mind reader, knew what the problem was. "What color is it?"

"Green."

He smirked, "I should have guessed."

We began searching, and it wasn't until the gods finally pitied us, that we found it. I moved it off to the side and opened it up. The pressure from the inside made some of the contents spill out as soon as I unzipped it. Among the items was a stuffed animal frog with a heart in its hands that read 'Frogs and Kisses'. A note was attached to it and I pulled it off. It was from dad, just saying that he loved me and that this frog was for incase I got lonely. Dad, I sighed. This fellow must have been what made my backpack so full; he was large enough that was for sure. Belphegor had read the letter over my shoulder, I didn't mind too much. I was sure he was going to start laughing though, but he didn't.

"I thought you hated frogs." Bel finally said.

"I do."

"Doesn't your dad know that?"

"I keep telling him…"

"I like frogs."

I looked up at him, because I had sat on the ground to dig through my stuff. "You want it?"

"Your dad gave that to you."

"It's the thought that counts." I offered up the frog. "If it had stayed with me it would have ended up in the fire anyways."

Belphegor grabbed it, and smiled. "I guess I should take up the responsibility of the frog, because you no longer have it, and make sure you don't get lonely."

"Aww, that would have been one of the sweetest things anyone has ever said to me, if it hadn't come out of your mouth."

Belphegor cracked a rather massive smile. "Glad you caught the hidden meaning."

I closed up my bag, making sure everything got put back, as well as my bug spray. I stood up, and realizing how cold it was, buttoned up my jacket.

Belphegor looked at the frog, "I'm going to go put him up, don't get lonely without me."

"I won't." I called after him. He laughed, so I knew he heard me. Not wanting to wait around, I walked closer to the fire, joining Tsuna and Spanner.

Spanner looked up momentarily. I noticed the sucker in his hair was gone.

"How did you get the sucker out of your hair?"

Spanner grimaced.

"I had to pull it out." Tsuna said. "I used some of Kyoko's lotion to get most of the hairs off it but…"

"It hurt?" I finished for him.

"Yeah," Tsuna mumbled.

"So what are you making?" I asked Spanner.

"I'm trying to make a radio from scratch. I'm using parts from the bus that Tsuna helped me find."

That's Tsuna's benevolence showing again. My mind was vacillating between staying with them, or joining Yamamoto and Hayato.

Tsuna noticed me looking at them. "Why don't you go check on Hayato?"

"Yeah," I said absently.

When I got over to them I asked, "Has he woken up yet?"

"Nah," Yamamoto looked down at the sleeping teen. "His antipathy towards his sister is scary."

I noticed a bandage wrapped around Hayato's wrist. "Did Dr. Shamal treat him?"

"He refused."

"You did it yourself?" I pointed at it so he knew what I was talking about.

"Yeah." His cheeks flushed slightly.

"Nh." Hayato's eyes opened up. I was leaning over him, so I was the first thing he saw. "Fran!"

"Relax," I said, making sure he didn't sit up abruptly, or else all the blood would rush to his head. "We're at camp."

Hayato blinked.

"Yamamoto has been looking after you since Lussuria carried you in." I commented.

"Yamam-" Hayato suddenly recognize what his head was laying on. He sat up quickly, and missed me by inches. He looked over at Yamamoto.

"I'll talk to you later." I said, backing off.

"Freak," Hayato grumbled, "You didn't have to do that for me."

"Are you okay?" Yamamoto asked.

"God you're annoying." Hayato said, but I didn't have to turn around to know that he was smiling.

I walked over to where Dino was next, he seemed really bummed out, and he was such a nice person it felt wrong to leave him like that.

"Hi." I said.

"Oh, it's you," He said, lifting his head. "Hi."

"Are you waiting for Hibari to come out of the tree?" I went straight to the point of my visit.

"Yes, well no, not really."

I waited.

"I just wanted to hang out with him."

"Uh, right…" I kneeled down beside him. "Isn't that what you're doing now?"

"He's ignoring me."

"His music has been turned off for awhile now."

"How do you know?"

"I can no longer hear it."

"You mean he's been able to hear for awhile now?"

"Bingo." I stood up. "I guess you're not the only one who wanted company."

As I was about to walk away I got hit in the head with something. I turned around to see it was a rock. I looked up in the tree and saw Hibari glaring at me.

"Don't get the wrong idea, herbivore, my battery died."

"Whatever." I said, walking away. He was in denial, how pathetic.

6-6-6

Dinner had actually been pretty good, better than anything I would have gotten at home. We had roasted meat, not sure what. Some odd plants from the forest, Bianchi told us they weren't poisonous, at least they were less poisonous than her cooking. We had green tea to drink, compliments of Spanner. Genkishi had filled Spanner's kettle with water from a nearby stream and they had boiled it over the fire. When we were all done eating off of our crudely made dishes, we placed them off to the side. There was some leftovers incase the bus driver ever woke up. Fon had convinced Dr. Shamal to take a look at the man. He's not dead, was the synopsis.

"Thank you everyone who took part in that wonderful meal." Fon said once everyone was done eating. It was surprising that we all fit around the fire, but it had been built wide.

"Now it's time for campfire songs!" Byakuran declared.

"Do you even know any campfire songs?" Fon asked him.

Byakuran jubilantly exclaimed. "No, but we can sing any song!"

Some people began making a move to leave the fire.

"Anyone who does not partake in the campfire song will be expelled from school, and for you teachers, that means you'll be fired."

Everyone stopped in their tracks, and sat back down.

"You can't threaten everybody." Fon complained.

"Fon," Byakuran said icily, a dangerous glint in his eyes. "You have to sing too."

Fon blinked at the white-haired man, shock was written all over his face, and he sat down with a slight flush on his cheeks.

After the first half an hour of us trying to pick a song that we all knew, and another half an hour spent restocking the fire, we finally got a decent campfire song going. The glow of the fire's light illuminated each of our faces, and, if just for a moment, it didn't matter; who we were sitting by, who our enemies were, or who we didn't get along with. We were a harmony of voices, and that's all that mattered.

"Too bad the choir teacher wasn't here to hear us." Lussuria commented after we had finished singing our fifth song.

"Well I'm happy she's not here," Squalo remarked. "She's a bitch."

"You just hate her because she tries to flirt with Xanxus." Lussuria pointed out.

Squalo glared at him, and that ended the conversation.

"Uh, Byakuran." Fon spoke up as we were catching our breath.

The principle, who had been greatly enjoying himself, broke away from his conversation with Shoichi to look upon Fon with an intense gaze. "Yes?"

"It's getting late…" Fon began, his eyes never quite looking into Byakuran's, his fingers twisted in the nearby blades of grass.

At first Byakuran didn't say anything. I thought he was going to snap at Fon, and apparently Fon thought the same thing because he seemed to shrivel back into the earth.

"Why you're right, Fon, it has gotten late." Byakuran said, smiling faintly at the fire. "How time flies when you're having fun."

"Hn." Fon agreed.

"Want to do the honors?"

Fon stood up and addressed everyone, "It's time to get some sleep. Everyone figure out your sleeping arrangements."

Everyone groaned.

"We've already discussed who will get the tents." Colonnello spoke up. "It's only fair that the girls get them. Chrome, Kyoko, and Haru can have one tent. Hana, I-pin, and Uni are in one. Bianchi and Lal Mirch, you two can have the smaller tent."

"Whew," Haru breathed. Tsuna gave her a quizzical look. She smiled, "I was afraid I would have to sleep under the stars."

"What's wrong with that?" Hayato butted into the conversation.

"All the bugs." She wrinkled up her nose.

People started claiming spots to sleep. It was like a mad stampede to get the best one. I had grabbed my backpack and brought it over to a warm patch of grass by the fire. I didn't have a blanket, or a pillow, but it didn't matter. I saw Spanner messing with his radio still, and Tsuna was at his elbow wrapped up in an oil splotched blanket already asleep. I heard the girls giggling in their tents above the crackling sound of the fire. The unmistakable smell of nature that I had been surrounded by all afternoon, without notice, had become a natural fragrance, but I still smelt the sweet aroma of the flowers that were littered about. My tongue lashed out at my lips, the tangy mint taste of my Chap Stick made me quickly regret the action. I felt a person settle beside me, their arm a hair's breath away, and without looking I could identify that person.

"Belphegor." I greeted him without looking to see if I had perhaps been mistaken.

"Frog." He greeted in turn, and moved a foot away, giving us both some space.

I tried to fall asleep. I tried really hard. I closed my eyes to block out the light. I made sure I wasn't on top of any rocks. I even tried to count sheep, but that didn't seem to help. I think it was all the whispering that didn't allow the realm of sleep to take me, or the fact that my body didn't relax with an impending threat so near. Belphegor.

The fire soon dwindled away to ambers and the cold was quick to replace the fading heat. It was now extremely dark with my eyes open, and cold as hell.

"Fon," I heard the soft whisper of Byakuran.

"Huh?" The man mumbled groggily.

"I'm cold."

"Uh."

"The fire went out."

"Oh."

"Go get firewood."

"No."

"But I'm cold." I could hear Byakuran complain in a whiny childish tone, and then he added. "You know, if we got closer together it would be warmer for both of us."

"Are you asking to snuggle…?" There was a pause in the conversation, then I heard Fon say with reluctance, "Come on over here."

Well it was cold out here…

Futa was reading one of his books by the light of a small pocket flashlight, and was trying not to disturb the sleeping Basil.

Lambo was snoring lightly against Reborn's knee, which he was using as a pillow.

Gamma was asleep atop a log, his face buried in his elbow.

I was beginning to get nervous being in complete darkness. I scooted an inch closer to Belphegor, but only because he could see in the dark. This way if something jumped out of the trees I would be safe, because Bel would see it coming, and hopefully save me.

Lussuria, who was to Ryohei's right, had a blanket with feathers attached to it. Every time it brushed up against the adjacent teen, he would sneeze and mutter 'Extreme' in his sleep.

Colonnello was still awake. It didn't look like he could get to sleep either.

Hayato and Yamamoto were shoulder to shoulder laying on the grass. They looked peaceful.

Now that my ears were in tune to my surroundings the sounds from the forest, bugs, birds, and bats were starting to get louder. Not to mention creepier. Once again I moved my body just a little bit closer to Bel.

Ken, Mukuro, and Chikusa had piled all their stuff together to form a sort of wall, separating them from everyone else, and were dog piled together, surly keeping warm even without the fire.

Longchamp was snoring really loudly, I heard Ginger curse, then an 'Ow' later the snoring ceased.

Doctor Shamal got up to check on the bus driver. As far as I could tell from his muttering, the man was still alive.

Hibari suddenly got up from his position on the ground. He must have woken up Dino because I heard the English teacher whisper, "Where are you going?"

Hibari didn't say anything, or at least I didn't hear him, but I did notice two figures disappearing into the forest.

That reminded me of Viper leaving earlier. After he got back he had joined Lancia in star watching, though I didn't see how he could see anything with his hood always pulled down so far. After the campfire songs they went back to the same spot. Were the stars really that interesting?

I wiggled close enough to Belphegor that I could hear his silent breathing. I couldn't tell whether or not he was asleep, or if he was staring up at the stars like how Lancia and Viper had done.

Skull kept hitting something metal in his sleep, because every time he moved, there would be a 'ding' sound. Verde, who was closest to Skull, must not have minded the noise, but here I was a good couple of yards away and it was driving me crazy, only because Skull kept moving.

Sqaulo was getting up, probably to go to the bathroom, when he tripped over something.

"Fuck!" Sqaulo said as he picked himself up.

"Are you okay?" Xanxus asked, his voice held no concern, but I was sure he wouldn't have asked the question if he didn't care at all.

Sqaulo looked down at what he tripped over, "That idiot…" He picked up a backpack and threw it at its owner.

Levi leaped up, awaked from his sleep by a heavy object landing on his gut.

"Keep your crap out of the way." Sqaulo told him, rather loudly.

The wind blew a cool breeze, and so I moved to where I was only about three inches away from Bel. My face felt immediately warmer from the heat coming off of his body.

Genkishi was still awake, but I knew he was tired because he kept yawning.

Shoichi sneezed. He must have been cold because he had camped far away from the fire, and like me, didn't have a blanket. I wondered why he didn't sit near Tsuna and Spanner, or someone else for that matter. As I was quickly finding out, the more people there was, the warmer it was.

"Shi shi shi." The laugh of Rasiel seemed to echo around the camp, though I knew that was impossible, it still rang in my ears. Just the though of that maniac sent unwanted chills up my spine, and I found myself practically pasted to Belphegor's side.

"What are you doing?" Belphegor turned to his side so that we were both faced to face. Guess he was awake after all.

I was about to scoot away, after all I had just invaded his personal space without permission, but I only got as far as thinking about moving when he pulled a scalpel to my throat. How he slept with them on his person without stabbing himself will forever remain a mystery, because before I got to ask him where he was keeping that, he said, "I didn't tell you too move away."

Feeling a little confused, and that may have something to do with lack of sleep. I sat up, and he did the same, but I could barely make out his features.

"Are you cold?" He asked me, doubtlessly thinking it was the reason I moved closer to him. It was partially true.

"Yeah," My body shivered once to punctuate that fact.

"I know a certain activity that'll warm both of us up."

My face paled as I thought of the implication.

"He he he, you pervert, I meant this." Before I knew what was happening, I was enclosed by arms. Either I was just the victim of a failed attempt at strangling, or Belphegor just hugged me. His arms were wrapped around my body like a snake about to squeeze the life out of its prey, but instead of killing me, he brought me just a little bit closer. He fell back to the ground, taking me down with him. All traces of the cold were gone, and in its place was warmth. In fact… it was getting pretty dang hot…

I had been close to Belphegor before, like when we napped under that tree at school, when he gave me the piggyback ride home the same day, when we tumbled down the hill at his house, or when the bus crashed just today, but never like this. There was no knife at my throat. No threats were whispered into my ear. I was just laying there beside Belphegor, using his chest as my pillow, and listening to the rhythmic sound of his heart beating. It was a sound I was beginning to like…

6-6-6

I woke to the sound of an argument being played out, something I would have never heard from my bed at home. I opened my eyes, unenthusiastic to greet the new day.

"It's you're fault!" The bus driver, who had been unconscious up to this point, was pointing an accusing finger at our principle.

"I wasn't at the wheel," Byakuran reminded him.

"You crashed my bus!" The man went to lung at Byakuran, but Reborn and Genkishi got in his way.

"Get out of my way!" The man's eyes looked rather crazed.

"I think we should tie him up." Byakuran commented.

"I don't think it's wise to provoke him." Skull laughed.

"I agree," Viper said, appearing beside the group. "Let's tie him up."

"I have duct tape." Mukuro spoke up, with a roll in hand. Everyone blinked at him.

"Why did you bring duct tape on a school field trip?" Dino ask the question that was on everyone's mind.

Mukuro gave him a coy smile, "It's complicated."

"We can't do that," Fon said, massaging his temples with one of his hands while holding Mukuro at bay with the other.

I looked to my side, and Belphegor was no longer there. In his place was my frog backpack, the one he had taken last week. Its head was reattached, and it now had a collar around its neck. I picked it up. It felt a little heavier than usual, so I opened it up. Inside was a tiny first aid kit. I guess Bel figured I needed one. In actuality, I was always getting cut, or shot at… I put my frog backpack inside my other backpack and joined the large group of people, for entertainment purposes.

The bus driver looked at us as if we were the crazy ones. His double chin jiggled as his mouth tried to form words, his face turned red from anger, and his brow became sweaty. It was a miracle that Genkishi and Lancia could carry him to this spot on their own. They must have some kind of super human strength.

"Look Mr.?" Fon tried.

"Sastu."

"Mr. Sastu," Fon continued. "The bus was totaled in the crash and we have relocated ourselves to this area."

"My poor bus," Sastu moaned, and then glared at Byakuran. "What did she ever do to you?"

"You're the one that drove us off the side of the road. You'll be lucky if the school doesn't sue you." Byakuran got the bus driver thinking, because the next thing he said was, "Sorry, I was having heart pains all of a sudden. I thought it was a heart attack."

"Well maybe you should lay off the food." Hayato mentioned under his breath.

"Maybe you should take up boxing," Ryohei added, "The sport is to the extreme!"

"Will you lay off my weight?" Sastu barked at them.

"Don't yell at the students," Fon ordered.

"What do we do? We're stuck here right? We need food! What about food? We'll have to eat one another until there's only one left." The bus driver began panicking. It was funny, but out of 43 people, he was the only one to panic. I'm not sure which is more messed up, him talking about eating people, or the other 42 people who had no issues with all that had happened. It was a close call.

"Relax Mr. Sastu." Byakuran said with a droll attitude.

"Why should I?"

"For starters, if you keep that up, you _will _have a heart attack." All humor had been lost in the white-haired man's voice. "Secondly… we're working on getting us out of here."

"How?"

Byakuran looked over his shoulder, "Spanner, care to show everyone what you've been working on?"

Spanner came over to us. Beside him was Lambo, who was holding something that looked very much like a radio.

"I've successfully made a radio, thanks to the help of some of my electronics students, Tsuna, Lambo, Basil, and Chrome." Spanner nodded his head in thanks towards the said students. "It'll work, but we only have one shot at it, because the juice in the batteries we were able to scrounge up will be used in a matter of minutes."

"So how do you know if it works?" Lussuria asked, looking closely at the gizmo.

"I had the best team I could have asked for to work on it," Spanner replied. "It'll work."

"So who do we contact?" Bianchi asked while she, Ginger, and Kyoko worked on breakfast.

"That's a good question," Byakuran frowned.

"What about the other buses?" Yamamoto suggested.

"We could… but what if no one is inside the buses?" Said Futa, who had a book tucked under his arm.

"Good point." Haru mumbled, "But then who else could we try?"

"What about a ranger's station?"

We all turned to look at Hibari.

"Keep staring at me like that and I'll bite you all to death."

"It's a good idea." Fon shook his head. "Does anyone know what the frequency for them is?"

We all looked to Hibari, on his shoulder was that yellow bird we had all begun to call Hibird, he stared back at us. "What?"

"Well," Verde asked him. "Do you know it?"

Hibari kept staring. We all took that as a no.

"I might have it somewhere." Futa ran back to his bag and began pulling things out. A minute later he joined us with a stack of papers stapled together. "Look in there. I printed off a packet about the surrounding area, if there's a ranger's station nearby, then it will say."

Spanner took it from him, and began flipping through it. "I'll see if I can find it."

"Guys, breakfast is ready." Bianchi called to us.

There wasn't much to eat, having to feed 43 people was a chore, but they had been able to make a nice breakfast. We were lucky because Kyoko and Ginger made most of it, while Bianchi supervised, or else it would have been too acidic for even Sastu to eat.

After breakfast we were ready to try out the radio. Spanner dialed in all the right settings, we all crossed our fingers, and called out for help.

"You say you drove your bus off the side of the road?" The ranger's voice crackled through the speakers after Fon filled him in on our situation and where we thought our location was.

"Well we can send search parties out for you," The man's voice told us. "Or you can head west, and our station is just on that hill."

"You want us to come to you?" Byakuran asked, appalled.

"It makes sense," Squalo told him. "It'll be faster that way."

"Yeah," The ranger said. "Then we can get you to your original destination."

"Wait, we still get to go to the science center?" Kyoko asked.

"Well it was a week long field trip," Tsuna reminded her.

"Okay," Fon decided. "We'll head to you."

"See you in a couple of hours." The ranger said before the batteries died and ended the transmit.

"We get to go on a hike!" Colonnello cheered. He was our P.E teacher after all, and loved to work us to tears.

"Oh goodie," I said sarcastically. I hated P.E, and except for those few moments, I hated this field trip.

"I know," Ryohei said, slinging an arm around me, he had his other around Tsuna. "Won't this be to the extreme!"

Tsuna and I shared a look.

"Okay everyone," Fon called over the chatter. "Let's pack up and head west."

"Wait, you don't expect me to walk, do you?" Sastu asked Fon, who was ignoring him.

"You have two legs," Verde reminded him.

"What about my health condition? I could get hurt!"

"As if we care." Belphegor, who I had only seen briefly while we were eating, appeared from nowhere, scaring the man.

"But my heart!"

"I think I liked it better when you were unconscious." Lancia said while he walked by to help put down the tents.

"You all want me to die?" No, but getting there.

Sick of listening to the bus driver Byakuran said, in a pleasant manner, "If you are worried about your health then you can stay here. No one is forcing you to come with us."

"But I don't want to be left alone." He said desperately. He grabbed Uni's slender arm because she was the closest. "Could you stay with me?"

Her face read 'Ew, let go of me!', but Uni was too nice to say something like that, and so I decided to bail her out.

"Let go of her," I was beat to the punch by Reborn.

"Uh," The bus driver did as he was told. After all, Reborn was a menacing figure, with a gun.

"You shouldn't ask people you don't know for favors."

"Sorry," The bus driver apologized then oozed off to a place that was out of everyone's way.

"Thank you uncle." Uni said before getting back to work.

"Uncle?" Tsuna gasped. I followed a second later with a less animated, "Uncle?"

"She's the granddaughter of a close friend of mine." Was his explanation.

Once we were all packed up we headed out. I had my backpack, well on my back, and was walking beside Tsuna. Fon had set us at a steady pace, not too fast, and slow enough that Sastu could keep up. Speaking of that creepy bus driver… I couldn't help but notice how he stared at I-pin and Haru as they walked. I'm sure I was just being paranoid, but I made a mental note of it for later.

We took a break about an hour after we started. Byakuran figured we had to be getting closer, and Viper was worried we were going in the wrong direction.

As soon as we stopped I made my way over to Belphegor. I hadn't talked to him since last night and wasn't sure how to start up a conversation. I was glad when he was the first to talk.

"Un-cute kohai."

"Bel-senpai," I tried not to look directly at him. "I wanted to thank you for returning my backpack, and for giving me the first aid kit. You did a nice job of sewing the frog's head back on."

"I practiced a lot." He admitted, "It's because I want to cut you to pieces, frog, but because you'll be less fun to mess with when you're missing parts, I'll put you back together."

"I'm speechless,"

"In fact, the first chance I get, I want to carve my name into you."

Corrosively I told him, "How romantic. I think I would prefer you to use a tree instead though."

"Okay let's get moving again." Fon ordered. It had been a short break but he was in a hurry to get out of this forest.

We began walking.

"That guy is like a love sick puppy." Bel out of the blue commented.

I looked at where he was staring. Yamamoto and Hayato were walking together, Ryohei was beside them, but I don't think they really noticed him. Yamamoto was helping Hayato carry one of his bags.

"Who, Yamamoto?" I asked quietly so they wouldn't hear.

He nodded his head, his crown bobbed up and down in his hair.

"He's in love, give the guy a break."

"It's a crappy way to show it." Bel snorted.

More curious than I let on, I asked, "Well how would you go about it?"

"About what?"

"Telling, or letting someone know you love them."

"I'd never fall in love." He replied straight away.

"Hypothetically speaking then."

"I would tell them they're mine and make them know I mean it."

"If they turn you down, because get real, no one wants to be treated like that, then what would you do?"

"Kill them so no one else would have them."

"That's grim."

"That's love."

"Twisted love. I would go about all that differently."

"I don't care." He said.

"Whatever." I didn't think he had taken any of that serious.

We saw Rasiel up ahead, and Belphegor pulled out one of his knives to throw.

"Bel-senpai," I sighed. "Don't kill your brother."

"Why the fuck not?" He looked at me pissed.

"Because if you do, you'll get sent to prison." I told him up front. "And then I _would _be lonely."

We walked for a few minutes in silence. Our feet were the only part of us making sound. The sun beat down on us with an intensity that could match the summer heat. It wasn't until Fon called another rest stop that Bel asked, "So what would you do then?"

"Do what?"

"What would you do to tell someone you loved them?"

_To be continued…_

**Author's note: **Where to start…

There were so many places that were appropriate to stop the chapter at, but I wanted to make up the long absence with the longest chapter I've ever written. I'm not sure if anyone caught it, but there is plot development that doesn't involve romance in there. Somewhere. Parts were sappy and I enjoyed every moment of it. I reread the manga, where Fran comes in, and besides throwing knives at his back, Belphegor doesn't actually hurt him. Oh and there was a kick in there… but besides that! So I no longer fret about the sap. I noticed that this chapter did not reach my expectation of a rating of M. Once I got writing I didn't feel it was appropriate this early in the story. The rating will need to be M later on though, so I'll be lazy and not change it.

Oh, something important!

I've thought about it, and for every couple besides Fran and Belphegor, I can't write a lemon (or anything of the such) in the story. It's in first person, and how awkward would it be to watch other people going at it? O.o Though that would be funny…(writes a side note to self to put that in later) So I had a brilliant idea! After the story ends, I'm going to go back and write the love scenes for everyone else. The catch is, the scenes will come from the story. It'll just be what was happening that Fran didn't see, or didn't pick up on. It's like the deleted scenes from a movie! Tell me what you think of that idea, please! =D

I don't think I have anything else to say… uh…

Thanks for reading and reviewing. Those reviews mean the world to me and keep me going! =^w^=


	7. Love May Bite, But

**Author's Note: **I apologize for what you are about to read. I thought about changing it after I wrote it, but I think you guys would be happier if I got it out now and just moved on with the story.

Love May Bite, But Mother Nature Sucks

I was sitting in what looked like an interrogation room off of one of those crime shows on TV. There was just me, two chairs, a table, and four walls. I was perched on one of the chairs, waiting for someone to come in. It felt like being asked to the principle's office, like I was in trouble. I wasn't, at least I didn't think so. Water from my hair dripped onto the tabletop and I shivered from inside my clothes. It didn't take too much longer before the door swung open and a somewhat familiar man stepped into the room. I was sure I had seen him before, but I didn't bother to try and remember his name because in the next second he said it.

"Hello there, my name is Gene." He sat down on the other chair across from me.

"Fran," I offered up without any farther explanation.

Gene nodded in understanding, propped his elbows up on the table, and said, "If you can, I'd like to hear what happened. I would ask someone else… if there was someone else I could ask. At the moment you're in the best condition."

I wanted to laugh, but I didn't think it would be appropriate. Instead I started talking about all the events that lead up to this moment. It started with the field trip and by the time we made our way to the bus crash he was hooked. He had a glass of water brought in for me. I talked about the beginning of our hike to find this ranger's station, and I could feel my cheeks become plethoric at the memory of the conversation I had with Bel. If Gene noticed, he didn't say anything.

6-6-6

"Do what?"

"What would you do to tell someone you loved them?"

I looked at him, I mean really looked at him. Belphegor was smiling his usual smile, his hands stuffed in his pockets in a carefree manner. He wore his crown, tilted in his golden locks. It was at that moment that I decided I didn't want to tell him. No, there was no way I was going to tell! He was expecting an answer though, and I had to say something, but when I opened my mouth something unexpected happened. A roaring sound filled my ears and it took me a second to realize it was the wind! I looked up into the sky. The trees above us were swaying like crazy, and dark clouds from out of nowhere tumbled in, blocking out the sun.

"This sudden change in weather is very strange," Colonnello tried yelling above the wind, but I think only a few of us heard him.

Without warning the clouds opened up, it sounded like the sky itself had been ripped apart, and a heavy shower of rain began pouring on us. The girls screamed. The water was cold and I felt goose bumps appear on my skin before I ever saw them. Lightening struck across the sky, lighting it up like a Christmas display. There were even more screams this time, not all of them female. I saw Levi laughing, he was pleased with himself. He must enjoy lightening storms. I think I hated him even more now, if that was possible.

"How can you still be smiling?" I heard Hayato complain to Yamamoto.

"I like the rain, it's-" The rest of his words were lost to me, stolen by the raging wind.

Byakuran looked beside himself. He finally pulled out the megaphone and used it to consult us, "I'm not sure what we should do in this situation… anyone got a clue?"

I saw the light before I heard it; light does travel faster than sound, then that horrible crackle. There were gasps, and I turned to see what they were looking at. A large tree, just on the hill above us, had been hit by lightening. Its trunk was so badly damaged it was impossible for it to hold all that weight up. We all watched as it came down. I didn't know about the saying 'if a tree falls down in a forest, and no one if around to hear it, does it make a sound', but I now knew if a tree falls down in a forest, and it's on a hill, despite braches and other trees, gravity wants to take it down. The tree began to slide on the muddy earth, and at the rate it was going, it was heading right for us!

Someone, I'm not sure who but it sounded like Colonnello, told us to run. I didn't think anyone would argue. I know I myself was running with all I had. Water got in my eyes, and the mud made running difficult, but I wasn't about to stop and complain. I felt more than saw Belphegor running along side me.

Our large group split up at some point. I was too busy paying attention to my feet, and the crashing sounds behind me, to notice when.

We fought our way through the trees and eventually found ourselves sheltered under a small ledge. I found the wet rocks slippery under my feet, and after having to catch myself a few times, my hands were caked with mud. I took a look at who else was there. There was Bel, of course, who hadn't left my side once. I'm not sure how I felt about that, I was too hipped up on adrenaline to be able to sort through all my current emotions. Haru was resting her hands on her knees breathing hard, and little Uni was patting her on the back. Viper, my biology teacher, was there. There was also Tsuna and Shoichi who I gave a small wave to.

"Genkishi," Byakuran, who looked better off than the rest of us, politely asked, "Do you think you can drag that stubborn boy under here? I don't think it's a good idea to stand out there."

Genkishi nodded and I watched as he left only to reappear seconds later with a struggling Hibari. The teen scowled at everyone, then went to the edge of the ledge, as far away as possible from everyone else. He was more antisocial than me. I noticed the Hibird had taken shelter under Hibari's jacket.

Byakuran began to pace after awhile, mumbling to himself.

"What was that?" Genkishi asked.

"Oh nothing," Byakuran looked out into the rain, "I was just saying I have a terrible feeling."

"It's okay, the rain will let up soon enough." Shoichi said, trying to be helpful. "I'm sure everyone else is fine."

"Don't say that!" Byakuran snapped at him, "You just jinxed them! Now we have to knock on wood!"

Byakuran, like a madman, dashed out into the storm. Genkishi tried to stop him, but our principle was too quick. Usually Byakuran didn't snap at people like that, so I think everyone was thinking the same thing that I was, he must be really anxious. He came back with a chunk of wood in hand. I thought he was going to club Shoichi with it!

"Knock on it," Byakuran insisted. Shoichi complied, apologized, and scooted back over to Tsuna.

"Well no use in all of us being upset," Viper chirped, pulling out Fantasma from somewhere on his person. I don't want to know where he kept that thing. There was a puddle under our shelter, and he put the frog down there. Fantasma croaked and splashed around, making the two girls giggle. I found myself watching them, and wistfully remembering a time when I was younger, and when my mother was still around. Bel must have noticed my expression and was quick to comment.

"Don't be jealous of the other frog," He said, leaning into me and whispering so only I could hear, "I'm sure the girls would laugh at you too if you went around jumping in a puddle."

"Thanks for your input, excuse me if I forget to laugh." I had something else to say, but when Tsuna came up to my side I swallowed the comment.

"Hey Fran," He said. He was shaking in his shoes he was so cold, I felt bad for him, but there was nothing I could do.

"Hello Tsuna." I didn't ask him where Spanner was, it was obvious, not with him. Wait. Why did I think of Spanner? I guess they had been hanging around each other a lot since the crash, but wasn't it odd that that was the first person I thought of who would be with Tsuna? I interrupted my own thoughts to ask him, "How do you like this weather we're having?"

He grinned at my lame joke that wasn't really even a joke.

"It sure is raining cats and dogs out there." Tsuna said, eyeing the rain. He then looked at Belphegor, who was just standing there and grinning, so nothing new.

"Don't mind him," I said, jerking a thumb in Bel's direction, "He's harmless if you take away his wit, and all his knives."

I think that just made Tsuna more nervous.

"But I still have my knives~"

Well if what had I said didn't what Bel had said sure did. I decided to spare Tsuna, "You should check on Haru and see how she's doing."

"Y-yeah, good idea." He backed away quickly.

"You scared him."

"You brought up the knives."

"Touché."

The rain stopped shortly and hail started to pound the earth.

"Okay, who pissed off the gods?" A drenched Sqaulo looking disheveled asked from out of nowhere, he must have been out in the rain the entire time. He placed his hands on his hips, "What, no one took a leak on a scared plant? No one step on an endangered insect? No? No one?"

The girls laughed at his expression, and I felt myself inwardly chuckling. He was quite a sight to be seen.

Just as suddenly as his appearance, the hail stopped. The storm must have been over with. Byakuran didn't wait another second and shot out of the shelter like a rocket. It only took the rest of us a couple of heartbeats until we were following pursuit. It seemed like he knew where he was going. So a rocket with a homing device. I lost sight of him as he rounded a group of bushes, but found that he had gone no farther than that.

Standing there was the other half of our group. It seemed another tree had fallen, though this time someone was unlucky enough and got caught underneath. Byakuran was kneeled beside our vice principle, whose leg was pinned under the weight of the tree.

"I'm fine," Fon assured the man hovering above him.

"Can you move your foot?" Byakuran asked.

"Well… no."

"So your leg could be broken." Byakuran stood up. "Can someone help me try to move this thing?"

He got a good amount of teachers to help and they managed to lift it long enough for Fon to be dragged out from under.

"I'm so sorry Fon," Chrome came up saying, tears running down her face. "If you hadn't pushed me out of the way…"

"It's fine," Fon said, smiling like he meant it. "This way I can get looked after and not worry about doing any of the work. It's like a mini vacation."

"I-" She bowed, "Thank you for saving me!"

Fon waved her off, saying everyone had been prepared to do it and that he had just been the quickest.

I stopped looking at them when Reborn came up to us. It was amazing. Here was a guy who could look just as good and twice as intimidating when dripping wet. This reminded me that I should bring up my grade in his class…

"Uncle!" Uni ran up to Reborn and hugged him. He patted her head, whispered something to her, and she ran off to talk to other people. He looked over at us.

"Are you all okay?"

"Yeah." We all mumbled and he walked off.

"Fran, Tsuna, Haru!" Kyoko ran over to us, relief written all over her face, "We were so worried about you!"

She gave us each a hug, which left my ribs hurting just slightly.

"Are you guys alright?" Hayato asked, looking over Tsuna to make sure he was all in one piece.

"We're fine!" Tsuna said, squirming out of Hayato's reach.

"Lal Mirch gave me this," Kyoko pulled out a first aid kit, "Are any of you hurt anywhere?"

"I have this tiny scratch, but it's nothing to-" Haru began.

Kyoko grabbed her elbow, "Well then I'll clean it so that it won't get infected."

I stole a glance at Belphegor.

He was staring at me.

I quickly turned back around and began walking into the throng of people. Most everyone was sporting bruises and scratches of some kind. Fon had it the worst, and next to him Skull was nursing a twisted ankle.

"Luckily none of the students got hurt," Bianchi was saying to Lal Mirch.

"This entire trip has been a disaster."

Bianchi looked at Lal Mirch, and then elbowed her, "So nothing on the love front?"

"Shut up!" The teacher looked away, embarrassed.

I felt like I was eavesdropping so I hastily walked away over to Lussuria.

"Fran!" The grown man threw his arms around me. I let him hug me, and as soon as he realized I wasn't going to hug back, he let go.

"I wasn't worried about you, oh no, I knew that if you were with Belphegor you would be extra safe!"

"You must not know Belphegor." I deadpanned.

"He wouldn't ever let anything bad happen to you," Lussuria said, taking my hands in his own.

"That's because he wants to be the one inflicting the pain." I pulled my hands free.

Lussuria pouted, "Fran, you're the type of person who sees the glass half empty, aren't you."

"No, you have me pegged all wrong," I correct him, noticing that last comment wasn't a question but a statement, "I'm the type of person who see the glass half full of poison."

Lussuria looked deflated, "But Fran, I can hear it!"

"Hear what?" I perked up my ears but all I could hear was Byakuran threatening Dr. Shamal that if he didn't look at Fon's leg he would be vomiting up salamanders for the next year.

"Bel's heart,"

"Since when can you hear nonexistent things?" I said turning to leave before Lussuria got everyone's attention with his dramatics.

His hand clamped down on my shoulder and he spun me around, "I'm telling you, his heart screams doki doki, it sings for y-"

Lussuria paused and with his free hand reached up to his face. He pulled it back and looked at his red stained finger tips, "When did-"

"I'll doki doki you into the next life." Belphegor said a fan of knives in his hand.

"Belphegor! You shouldn't play with knives," Lussuria lectured.

"And you shouldn't go around babbling nonsense to anyone stupid enough to listen." He threw two more knives but Lussuria managed to doge them both. They landed in a nearby tree with a thunk.

I felt that last insult was directed at me. I opened my mouth to say something, but Bel cut me off, no pun intended, "If you wish to keep that tongue of yours I suggest you keep your mouth shut as well."

I hesitated.

"Don't pick on Fran," Lussuria said, and then quickly had to doge another knife, "Don't you think it's a little Kindergarten-ish to be acting this way? I mean if you like someone shouldn't you go about a more mature way of showing it than picking on them?"

Three more knives. This situation reminded me all too well of when I went over to the house. Even the dialogue seemed familiar.

"I heard a box of chocolate works wonders, or possibly flowers-" Lussuria stopped moving all together and his eyes grew wide. "I see you're serious."

I didn't see it at first, all the wires that were connected to each knife, but now Lussuria was trapped. If he moved, he would get cut by the wires, if he didn't move he would get hit by Bel's knives.

"Belphegor!" Squalo's angry voice was followed by one angry looking Squalo. His white hair was tied behind himself. His wet trench coat was no longer on his person. "What do you think you're doing?"

"We're just playing around," Lussuria said, though he continued to stand like a statue.

"Shut up." Squalo growled. "You shouldn't be fighting at a time like this. When we get home you can kill each other all you want, but right now I need your asses helping out. You got that?"

"Yes, of course!" Lussuria said brightly. Belphegor grumbled a little, but cut his wires. I guess there _are _some people on this Earth who can stop an angry Bel.

Squalo turned to me, his steal like gaze cutting through me. He smirked, and then walked away.

What the hell was that for?

6-6-6

"There's no way we can keep traveling like this," Dino was saying when I joined the large huddled group. There was a space beside Lambo and I quickly took it.

"You're right," Colonnello agreed, drawing a map of the surrounding area in the mud with a stick. "This place is so huge, we can't keep wondering around without any sense of direction."

"Also, with Fon's injury, he can't be moved around." Dr. Shamal said.

"So it really is broken?" Verde inquired.

"Yeah, I tried setting it, but he really needs to go to a hospital." Dr. Shamal rubbed his chin. "I gave him some pain medicine, and Byakuran is with him now, but the sooner we can get him out of the forest the better."

"So we should send a party to go look for that ranger's station." Gamma spoke up.

"That's a good idea," Colonnello said, "But we need to make sure we're heading the right way."

"Who should go?" asked Skull. He was sitting down on a large rock. His ankle was wrapped up and beside him was a large stick.

Colonnello stood up, "I'll go."

"So will I," Gamma said, leaving no room for arguments.

"Us too," Squalo said, pulling Lussuria behind him. I was just thinking I hadn't seen Xanxus when he appeared behind the two. His shirt was off and his chest was wrapped up in bandages. I wonder what happened to him…

"Good, that should be it. We don't want to take too many people." Colonnello said. "Let's gather some gear and leave within the hour."

After that the group dispersed.

My feet were beginning to hurt, so I joined Skull on the rock. I wasn't planning on talking to him, it just sort of happened.

"How's your ankle?"

He gave me this odd look, like debating whether or not to talk to me, and then said, "It only hurts when I put pressure on it."

"Ah."

"You're Fran right?"

"Yeah, how'd you know?"

"Your friends are loud."

"Yeah."

"You really stand out among them." He paused. "Like you don't belong."

Before I had time to comment Reborn walked over, "Go get me some water."

I thought it was an odd request but was about to get up when he said, "No, not you Fran, Skull."

"My ankle is hurt." Skull said, annoyance dripping from his voice.

Reborn only blinked, "So you're not going to get me that water?"

"No," Skull said, looking down at his leather boots.

"Here, you can have this water." Kyoko came up, handing Reborn a water bottle. He thanked her then left.

A couple of minutes passed by before I asked, "So what was all that about?"

Skull sighed.

"I mean, it's like he excepted you to wait on him."

"We went to school together," Skull said finally. "Colonnello, him, and I. They were my upper classmen. They didn't treat me so well."

"Did they beat you up?"

"No, worse." Skull sighed again. "They laughed at me, mocked me."

"Ouch."

"Reborn made me his errand boy. I had to carry his books, pass notes to his friends, and get him his lunch. It was like that everyday!"

"Why didn't you quit?"

"I wanted them to like me…"

Sitting there I felt sorry for the man. I could imagine what it would be like to be treated so poorly by Reborn; then again I didn't have to. I had him for a teacher. "I bet you resent him a lot then."

"Not really."

I looked ay him surprised; his violet colored hair was in the way, so I couldn't read his expression. He got up all of a sudden, and using the stick to walk on, wobbled away. I sat there, puzzled as to why he didn't hold a grudge.

From this rock I had a nice vantage point of everyone. I scanned over heads but the one I was looking for wasn't there. Belphegor must have gone for a walk or something…

The party heading out left with a wave of goodbyes. I didn't move to see them off. Instead I brought up my legs and rested my head on my knees.

Byakuran was still sitting beside Fon who was laying on a jacket.

"How's your head? Do I need to adjust the makeshift pillow?"

"No, it's fine." Fon repeated himself for the hundredth time. "You don't need to worry about me, I'm a grown man. Instead, worry about yourself; you need to get some rest."

"Don't tell me what to do." Byakuran said, crossing his arms over his chest.

"Lay down beside me and we can both take a nap." Fon scooted over slightly, managing not to move his inured leg in the process.

"…" Byakuran let down his defiant stance, "Fine you can tell me what to do, just this once."

"You keep saying that." Fon teased.

I turned my head away from them, and spotted an interesting sight.

Tsuna and Spanner were huddled together, sharing a single blanket. They looked rather cute. Tsuna was leaning against the taller man, his face one of bliss. Spanner wore a less comfortable expression, and I could tell from this distance he was fidgeting. He was tossing his sucker back and forth inside his mouth, if the moving stick was anything to go by.

"Nice try!" Yamamoto called, drawing my attention as he ran into the forest.

"What are you talking about, that one was way over your head." Hayato was wearing a brown glove, and when Yamamoto returned I noticed he was wearing one to.

"You're getting better." Yamamoto said, throwing a baseball. It arched perfectly in the air and came right down into Hayato's glove. He didn't even need to move.

"Show off!"

"Sorry," Yamamoto quickly apologized. This time when Hayato threw the ball it landed over by me.

When Yamamoto was close enough I asked him, "How did you get Hayato to agree to play catch with you?"

"Actually, when he saw the ball and mitts in my backpack he asked to play." Yamamoto was grinning from ear to ear. "Strange huh?"

"Yeah." I internally smiled, "It's like he's trying to get to know you. Wouldn't you say?"

He blushed.

"Hurry up!" Hayato yelled. Yamamoto nodded to me, and then went back to his bossy crush.

"They're sure getting along."

I spun my head to the side to see I-pin. She smiled at me. Her face was like a beautiful painting, it was hard not to stare at her.

"It's like this field trip has done wonders to their friendship." She said, and then pointed to another pair. Futa was crying and Basil was trying to comfort him, but he was doomed to failure. "Think you can help Basil out?"

"What makes you think I can?" I was a little reluctant to leave my rock.

"Because you're good with people." Her smile intensified.

I stood up, "Who keeps telling these lies?"

She giggled. I sighed, giving in. "I'll try but I can't guarantee anything."

"Please Futa, thou musty stop crying!" Basil said, lightly shaking the sulking boy. "Or else thy will start to cry as well."

"Why the flood?" I asked as soon as I got there. Basil looked up at me, and then down at a pile of water soaked books.

"Thy am afraid thee books are damaged."

I kneeled down beside Futa. His eyes were puffy and red.

"Futa," I said, "They are just books. They can be replaced."

"No they're not! You don't understand!" He began to cry some more. "I want big brother!"

"Tsuna is asleep right now." I recognized Futa's name for Tsuna and placed a hand on his head. "So tell me, how is it that I don't understand?"

"They're my friends!" He sobbed.

"And we're not?"

"N-no you are…"

"Then how can we help?"

I-pin gave him a handkerchief to blow his nose on. When he was finished he looked up at me and Basil. "Can you tell me a story?"

"…" I looked at I-pin. "Well I'm done, your turn."

"No, you tell a story."

"I don't know any."

"I'm sure that's not true."

"Well I'll need time to think of one."

"Later on then?" Futa asked hopefully.

"Fine." I said, backing away, anything to get out of there.

"Thanks Fran!" Three voices followed me.

As I was backing away, back towards my rock, I bumped into someone.

"Sorry." I mumbled automatically.

"Watch where you're going!" The voice snapped. I turned around and saw that it was our bus driver, who up until this point I had completely forgotten about. I would have thought that tree from before would have crushed him like the bug he reminded me of. When he saw it was me he smiled, a sight I wish to never see again for as long as I live. "Oh it's you, Fran."

"Don't say my name." I said before I could stop myself. Just the thought of my name traveling through his lips was enough to give me nightmares.

"Why, does it bother you how I say it? Fran. F-r-a-n. ."

"Just stop it." I said it calmly but was internally irritated, and tried walking around him.

He stepped in my way, "Where ya going Fran?"

I tried to calm myself down. The word serenity became my internal mantra. I could now look at him in a nonchalant manner. "Your name is Sastu, was it not?"

He nodded.

"Do you mind moving? You are in my way."

"What's your hurry?"

Getting away from you.

"He probably doesn't want to spend another minute inhaling that repulsive smell you call breath." Mukuro walked up from behind me with a playful smile on his face. Our eyes met for the briefest second, and all I saw in his was darkness. He bumped me out of the way, none too gently.

Sastu didn't know what to say for a moment, then outraged, yelled, "Is that the way you speak to adults? Where's the respect?"

"I don't respect adults, and I think even less of slimy worms. Can you guess which category you fall under?"

Sastu's nostrils flared, "Why you punk!"

"That the best you've got?" He bated him.

Sastu pulled back his fist.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you." Just as Mukuro said that Chikusa, Ken, and Chrome's presence behind the man became known. He lowered his fist.

"Now listen to me," Mukuro said, taking a step into the man's space. "Watch yourself. No one here likes you. If you were to suddenly go missing I don't think anyone would mind. You understand?"

Sastu nodded quickly.

"Good. Now go look for some dry wood to burn. We need a fire so we can dry off."

"But that's impossible!"

"Impossible? I just saved your life. I think you owe me it."

"Saved my life?" He looked as baffled as I felt.

"You were two seconds away from getting a knife in the back of your head by a certain blond who doesn't like people messing with his investments." At that statement I looked around. I didn't see Bel anywhere. How was Mukuro able to? Mukuro finished with Sastu, "I saved your worthless life, now you work for me. So get to it, slave."

The frightened man wobbled off into the forest, at the same time Mukuro left.

Chrome scooted over to me, "That man is really creepy. Are you okay?"

"You say that like I was in any danger."

"Well… but it looked like…" She twiddled her fingers and managed to look adorable.

"Girl, you're stupider than I thought," Ken said, making her duck her head. "We didn't do that to save this guy. Mukuro wanted someone to mess with. It's plain and simple. Don't go mistaking his actions."

He looked at me, "And that goes for you as well."

Instead of saying what I wanted to say I just shrugged, placed my hands behind my head, and walked off back to my rock. This wasn't the first time I've noticed my school was full of loons, it happened everyday.

I sat on the rock once again. I could feel the solidness beneath me, and I ran my hands across the hard chunky surface. I rubbed my hands across the moss that grew on it. It was soft like a sponge, though its texture was like that of a starfish's mouth. If I looked up I could see a small mountain off in the distance. Everywhere I looked there was a sea of green. I tilted my head back and my eyes met with a grey sky. In it were dark ominous clouds, circling like sharks ready to attack. While I was sitting there, just viewing everything, the wind chimed in my ears like bells. With it the wind brought in an aroma from a distant place. It smelled clean and fresh, like the rain. The tranquility I put myself in was shattered when something wet and slimy suddenly decided to plant itself on my face.

"Sorry Fran." I recognized Viper's voice. So that meant the thing on my face was…

"No don't do that Fran!" Viper cried, voice raising an octave. "Let me get him off you. Don't panic."

I felt it being ripped from my face and once again I was allowed to breath.

"Lancia, thank you!" Viper said, after he received Fantasma from the other man.

"You should watch him more carefully." Lancia mumbled.

Viper looked over at me, "Are you okay?"

I nodded.

"Shishishi~" Belphegor came over laughing. "You can't blame him can you? It's not his fault he mistook you for a sibling."

The other two walked off, Viper cooing to his pet frog as he went.

"I see you're in a better mood."

He grinned.

"Were you really about to kill Sastu?" I asked after a few seconds. I really was curious to know.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Oh." I didn't believe him, not for a second. "So where did you go before?"

"To let off some steam."

"Who did you kill?"

"No one you know."

"Bel."

"Frog."

Our staring contest was interrupted when Ginger started yelling about how someone with a muddy boot stepped on his clean clothes. I turned my head to see the blond holding up something that no matter how you looked at it, it was pink.

"Come on confess, who stepped on this?"

"Shut. Up." Xanxus said, pushing the blond to the side as he made his way through.

Dino cupped his hands over his mouth, "Watch out everyone, Xanxus is hungry!"

Xanxus glared at him.

Dino stepped behind Hibari, using him as a shield. That ended up getting Hibari pissed at him, and that left him with a few more bruises than when he started.

I noticed Rasiel was sitting by Levi, those two where whispering fiercely. They were in all likelihood up to something, but I wasn't worried.

Longchamp was exercising with Ryohei, Lambo was working on some contraption of his, and Verde was trying to light some of the wood Sastu found, of course with Skull's help this time. Hana was talking with Shoichi about how he could change his look to stand out more, and that's when I saw Squalo's white hair through the trees.

I wasn't the first to see them however, and Longchamp called out, "Hey look, they're back!"

Byakuran got up and rushed over to them, "So how did it go?"

"No luck." Colonnello said, gratefully taking a cup of water from Lal Mirch.

"Yeah go west, the place is just on a hill," Squalo was muttering. "What fucking hill?"

Everyone stopped talking at once when a buzzing noise could be heard. Levi was the one to point it out, "Look, it's a helicopter!"

"Hey, it's the third one I've seen in the last couple of hours." Chikusa commented, "Though this time it's really close."

"Maybe they're looking for us!" Haru exclaimed.

"Well they'll never see us like this," Longchamp said, "Maybe we could try starting a fire."

"No good, the wood wont burn, I've already tried." Skull said, shaking his head.

"I think they already have a fire to worry about," Xanxus said, pointing up to the sky. The horizon was filled with smoke. It was down wind from us, so no wonder we didn't smell it.

"Oh no!" Kyoko said, gasping.

"It must have been caused by the lightening." Verde said.

"What'll happen if they can't put it out?" Kyoko asked.

"The forest will burn up." Hayato said, "I think the better question is what will happen to us?"

6-6-6

So we waited because there wasn't much else we could do. I no longer wanted to sit on the rock away from everybody. Lussuria and Belphegor made up, under the supervision of Squalo. I pulled my backpack off my back and shuffled through the pockets until I pulled out a deck of cards.

"Who wants to play?"

"Great idea!" Tsuna said. He had woken up from his nap when the search party came back.

A lot of people wanted to play though, so we decided to play in teams of two, and play blackjack. This way not a lot of cards were needed for each team to be able to play. We switched partners, changed games, until we finally got sick of playing. By then the smell of smoke was heavy in the air. I could tell the teachers were worried, but they were doing a good job of hiding it.

"Hey Fran, will you tell me a story now?" Futa asked.

"Oh right…" Crap. I forgot to think about one.

"I have an idea!" Haru said, saving me from having to say something. "How about we all take turns telling the story? It will be fun!"

"Good idea!" I said, liking the sound of it.

"So you can start Fran, and we'll just go around in circle." She picked up a stick and handed it to me. "Whoever has the stick is the storyteller."

Damn. "Okay…"

Everyone leaned in to hear me, except for Fon who was laying down.

I took a deep breath and tried to think of something, "Once upon a time, like how every famous fairy tale begins, there was a grand kingdom. They had just come away from a mourning period, for their beautiful queen had died, but there was also cause for celebration. Before she left the world behind she had had a baby boy. The king loved his son greatly, always smothering him in love to the point where it got incredibly annoying. The prince grew up being taught how to one day take over the kingdom, but he didn't want to, he thought it would be too boring. Instead, the young prince wanted to be a-"

The stick was ripped away from my hands by Lussuria, I wasn't complaining, until I heard his first line, "Princess! He loved the way they got to dress, the long flowing gowns, and the polished jeweled crowns! Oh how he longed to wear them! The prince however feared letting others know, especially his father, who he didn't want to let down."

Lussuria gave the stick to Kyoko, "One day his father decided to host a ball at their palace. All the lovely princess and handsome princes were invited to come. The prince, longing to wear a silk gown, went to his best friend for help. His best friend offered to impersonate him; because it was a masked ball no one would be able to tell the difference! That way the prince could go in the dress he always wanted to wear, and no one would be the wiser!"

Kyoko handed the stick to Hayato, who looked like he had no idea what to do with it. He cleared his throat then said, "Now don't mistake the Prince's actions. He did not want to be a girl. It's just… he was always told he looked a lot like his mother, and because she had died before he ever got to meet her, he felt that when he dressed as a girl, that she was there with him."

Hayato quickly gave the stick to Haru, who had her hand out eagerly for it, "The Prince dressed in the most gorgeous dress a seamstress could make. It was light blue, with white under ruffles, light green accents, long sleeves that reached passed his finger tips, and it showed off his thin shoulders. With the way he was built, no one would be able to tell he was not girl. He passed on the jewelry tonight and went for a simple silver crown. Once a white mask was in place he left his room and discreetly made his way to the ballroom, making sure no one saw him."

Haru gave the stick to Hana, "The Prince hated children, and when he saw some playing in the punch bowl, vowed to never have any."

She tossed the stick at Yamamoto, "The music began, men and women of all ages began to sway to the sound. The Prince, disguised as a girl, found himself caught in a dilemma. All the men wanted to dance with him, but he had no desire to do so in return. He tried at first to politely decline, but soon it got so bad that he was hiding from them."

Yamamoto gave the stick to Lambo, "The Prince found himself hiding out on the balcony, wishing on the stars for the chance to just dance. The music started up, and all by himself he started to dance. His dress twirled about him, and he moved with such a grace that no wonder the prince watching him fell instantly in love."

Lambo gave the stick to Hibari, who gave it to Dino, "The man standing in the shadows was so struck by awe that he felt his heart leap inside his chest. Never before had he felt such a spell cast upon him. However, to his dismay, the young girl saw him and stopped-"

Hibari grabbed the stick from Dino, "The man tried to apologize but in an animalistic way the cross-dressing Prince was frightened into jumping off the balcony."

I-pin grabbed the stick from Hibari, and surprising enough he let her take it, "Luckily for the falling Prince there was a lake below, and he fell into that, avoiding death."

I-pin blushed at the attention and gave the stick to Ryohei, "The man was like "That was to the extreme!". Then worried for the girl, fled the castle and went to the pond to see if she was okay."

Viper got the stick next, "Unfortunately, for the Prince, the pond was a cursed pond. Anyone who took a dip in its waters would be turned into a frog every time the sun went down. The other Prince could not find the girl, and heart broken he went home."

Viper gave the stick to Verde, "The next morning the Prince woke up naked and disoriented. He could not remember what happened to him. He was shocked to find people around him and was scared. The thought that he had been kidnapped crossed his mind, and he tried getting away."

Verde gave Lancia the stick, "The group of people who surrounded the Prince were bandits, and they recognized him as the crown Prince. They decided that they would keep him and ransom him."

Lancia gave the stick to Skull, "Around that time the leader of the bandits came back, and what a sight he saw. An attractive young man naked in his camp. The first thoughts that came to his mind were not the same as his men, and he was quick to take over the situation. Much to the Prince's horror he was locked away in the leader bandit's home, and the man had promised to come back at nightfall to have his way with him.

"Keep it appropriate!" Sqaulo said, snatching the stick away, "However that night the Prince once again turned into a frog. When the bandit leader opened the door he was startled by the frog, and the Prince unknowingly was able to get away."

Squalo gave the stick to Xanxus, who didn't look pleased, "This time when the Prince woke up he was on a farm. There were pigs, sheep, goats, cows… mmm steak…"

Gamma looked at Xanxus and took away the stick, "The farmer freaked out and started attacking the Prince. The Prince, about to be skewered by a pitchfork, was miraculously saved. He turned around and saw it was the bandit leader! At first he was scared, but when it appeared the bandit leader wasn't about to hurt him, he agreed to get on his horse."

Gamma gave Uni the stick, "Feeling saver than he had since the night of the ball the Prince relaxed. When the bandit leader asked him how he was able to escape, the Prince answered truthfully that he didn't know. The bandit leader, concerned, took him to a cabin hidden in the forest. That night he watched over the Prince, promising he wouldn't hurt him. What he saw he could barely believe, the Prince had turned into a frog. He kept the frog in the cabin, and in the morning the frog once again became the Prince."

Uni gave Reborn the stick, "He told the Prince what had happened, and asked if he had always done that. The Prince told him no and that it started only after he fell into the pond."

Reborn, not really wanting to talk, gave the stick to Chrome, "The bandit leader took the Prince to a witch in the woods, and she told them that the Prince was cursed! The only way to cure him would be to kiss the one he loves the most. Only one problem, the Prince didn't know who that was!"

She gave the stick to Ken, "The bandit leader took the Prince back to the palace, and even went as far as to wish him good luck."

From Ken it went to Chikusa, "The Prince didn't know it, but the bandit leader infiltrated the castle to keep an eye on him."

Chikusa offered the stick to Mukuro, who took it, "The Prince told his father, who had been out of his mind with worry, the whole story, minus the whole dressing up like a girl. The father then told his son it was okay if he kissed him. The Prince bluntly told him that he did not love him, at all. Crushed, the King went off, leaving the Prince to think by himself."

Mukuro passed the stick off to Levi, "The one Prince who had fallen in love with the Prince at the ball found out the one he loved was actually the crown Prince of the kingdom. Wanting the Prince's money, he decided to tell the Prince of his love for him."

Levi gave the stick to Longchamp, "The King liked the idea that someone loved his son, much to his son's protests that he wasn't gay. Soon an arranged marriage was set up."

Longchamp gave the stick to Dr. Shamal, "Hating the idea of marring the guy, the Prince became greatly sick, on top of always turning into a frog at night."

He gave the stick to Bianchi, "Some people thought he was poisoned, they finally got so desperate they called the witch, and she told them that the Prince was love sick. If he did not kiss the one he loved the most by the end of the month, he would die."

Bianchi gave the stick to Ginger, "They had the Prince kiss the other Prince, his husband to be, but he did not get better."

Genkishi received the stick next, "The father still didn't give up on an arranged marriage."

He gave the stick to Colonnello, "The one Prince tried getting the marriage moved up, but the King did not want his son to go through with it until he got better, which would never happen unless he kissed the one he loved most."

Colonnello gave Lal Mirch the stick, "The King implored his son to start kissing anyone and everyone, but the boy refused, saying it would never work. Day after day passed, and soon only a week was left."

She gave Futa the stick, "The bandit leader, who had been watching over the ailing Prince all this time began to worry that he would die."

Futa gave the stick to Basil, "Thee King finally had all the Princes and Princess come to his castle, and thee Prince kissed each one, but still he was not free from his curse."

Basil gave the stick to Shoichi, "The Prince did not know who he loved most, and accepted his fate."

The stick was taken from Shoichi by Sastu, "The Prince left his room one day, when no one was looking. Weak from being sick, he fell down the stairs."

Even Rasiel wanted the stick, and Sastu gave it to him, "The other Prince saw him in his weakened state, and sick of the King, kidnapped the Prince. He planned to have them secretly married. Later he could claim that it was what Fran, I mean the Prince, really wanted."

His mistake was on purpose and I felt my throat dry. That bastard, this story wasn't even about me! It was about a girly Prince who gets turned into a frog and is pursued by an evil Prince, he has an over loving father, and…

Well shit, maybe the story was about me after all…

The stick was taken from Rasiel by Spanner, "Nighttime came and the Prince turned into a frog, but the other man was ready, and put him in a jar. He forgot about it though, and when the sun came up, the jar shattered, cutting up the poor Prince."

Spanner gave Tsuna the stick, "The Prince freaked out, and when the other Prince told him of his intentions, he began to cry. He was too weak to fight him. He was forced to dress in a white gown, and soon he was in front of a priest. This priest was being paid handsomely to wed them, even though the Prince didn't want to get married."

Tsuna looked around at who hadn't gone yet, then got up and walked over to Fon, who accepted the stick, "Then like out of some cheesy romance novel a man on a white horse came charging down the aisle. It took a moment for both of the Princes to get a good look at the man. It was the bandit leader, come to save the Prince."

Fon gave Byakuran the stick, "It was a bloody battle, both expert fighters. It ended with the Prince slain, bits and pieces of him everywhere. The frog Prince, grateful, and so happy to see the bandit leader once again, kissed him without thinking. Like magic, sparks passed between their lips, and at once both knew the spell was broken."

Byakuran stopped and looked around, "Has anyone not gone yet?"

"I haven't," Belphegor said as he walked over to Byakuran and took the stick. I could feel my face pale, well so much for a happy ending.

"The bandit leader and Prince were found in the church, and immediately everyone jumped to the wrong conclusion. The King was going to have the man killed, that was until the Prince explained the situation. He then told his father that this was the man he loved the most. The Kind was happy the curse was lifted, but refused to let his son marry a commoner, let alone a bandit. Distraught the Prince threatened to jump into the pond once again, but his father told him while he was sick in bed he had it drained, that way no one else would fall victim to it. The bandit leader at that point stepped forward and pulled out a crown from his horse's pouch. He explained to the King and the Prince that he was really a Prince himself. The King didn't believe it, but his adviser admitted he knew the crown, and that the kingdom had fallen to war. The family had a son, but his body was never found. So once they confirmed his heritage, the two lived happily ever after. The end."

I don't know who was more shocked, everyone else, or me. Our surprise was short lived, however, because now that all our attention wasn't on the story the sound of the fire was closer than ever.

"I think we should move." Colonnello said, standing up.

"Yeah… like now." Gamma agreed.

Byakuran helped Fon onto Gamma's back as everyone scrambled around for their things.

"If we don't hurry we could get trapped by the fire." Spanner said, eyeing the wall of death just behind us.

We started running through the forest. The wind changed and smoke started attacking our lungs, the only one who didn't cough was Hayato. It felt like the fire was nipping at out heels, but it was still a good few yards away. Thanks to the earlier rain the fire was having a tough time, but it was so huge now that I didn't think anything could stop it. I remembered about Skull's sprained ankle and looked around. I spotted Xanxus carrying him not far behind. Colonnello, who was in the lead, spotted a lake, and we all moved in that direction. We could hear more helicopters than ever before. Each carried a bucket of water. Everyone started going into the lake, the fire crackled behind us, but I didn't budge.

"Fran, hurry up and get in!" Kyoko called to me. "We could never out run a forest fire, being in the lake is our best chance."

I took a deep breath, "Come hell or high water I'm not going in!"

I didn't hear him come up from behind me, but Reborn grabbed my backpack, lifting me up along with it. With a flick of his wrist he sent me sailing towards the lake. It was only seconds before I hit the water's surface.

I was falling towards the bottom, like a rock. My arms flailed about me, but nothing was happening. I was panicking. My clothes and backpack were weighing me down. All I could think was I am going to die. Die at the bottom of a lake, like how mafia members used to get rid of people in those old movies, well at least when they didn't just go ahead and shoot them up. I'd be sleeping with the fishes from now on.

Suddenly I felt a tugging and I was lifted to the surface. I began gasping for air as I struggled to stay afloat.

"I remembered on the bus you told me you couldn't swim." I heard Yamamoto's voice. "Are you okay?"

Between gasps for air I managed to thank him. He started pulling me towards the center of the lake, where everyone else was gathering. No one wanted to be by the edges because the heat from the fire was starting to catch up. A helicopter that was flying by slowed down. The water started to ripple because of the helicopter blades, but the man saw us, and I had no doubt in my mind he was sending for a rescue chopper. He went on ahead to dump his bucket of water on the flames.

A familiar blond head of hair appeared beside us, "I can take over from here."

Yamamoto at first seemed unsure, but then relinquished me to the blond demon prince. When Belphegor's arm wrapped around my waist I think I almost died. Not because he squeezed me real tight, but because now I was facing him, and we were _really _close. After my head went below the water the first time Belphegor _made _me grab a hold of him. It was _very _awkward. It was like we were preparing to dance a slow dance, only in a lake, and with bulky backpacks on. Belphegor's backpack's top half was dry, and I thought I saw a furry scarf inside, but then my focus was back to Bel.

Like all good moments with Belphegor, it had to end.

"So, are you going to answer the question?" He asked while spinning us away from everyone else. Probably so they wouldn't hear my screams.

"What question?"

"Don't play dumb."

It took me a moment but that conversation from way back when reappeared in my mind. As if going through a lightening storm, a fire, and almost drowning wasn't enough? He was getting impatient so I said, "Is now really a good time?"

"Tell me or I'll dunk you."

I gawked at him, surprised by the cruelty of that statement, "You wouldn't…"

He smirked, "Do you really want to take that bet?"

"Belphegor!"

"Three… two…" He counted down.

Shit, he was really going to do it! I had no choice then, because there was no way I was going to cling to him and beg him not to dunk me. "Well to start off I would be nice to them."

"Nice how?"

"Nice like not dunking their head underwater."

"Are you trying to imply something?"

"Yeah, it would be nice if you didn't try to drown me."

"So that's all? Be nice? Pfft, that's-"

"I wasn't finished." I interrupted him. "I would also try to be around that person as much as possible. I suppose after that I would try to find out if they liked me back."

"How?"

"I don't know." I said, sounding annoyed even to myself. "I guess I would just go up to them and ask, 'Hey do you like me?'."

He smirked at me.

"What?"

"I'm waiting to be asked."

Baffled I asked him, "Okay… do you like me?"

"Yes," Bel said smoothly, "Deep-fried and with a side of chips."

"Haha…"

"Sorry, I was joking." He said, his eyes peaking out form behind his long bangs, "I don't want the chips."

"You would really eat me?"

"Didn't you know? Frog legs are considered a delicacy."

"I am not a frog."

"Whatever you say, frog." He paused, "And to seriously answer your previous question. I would."

I had to think back to what my last question was. "You would eat me…"

"Yes."

"So you're cannibalistic? Not surprised."

"We are not of the same species. I am human, and you're a frog. So it wouldn't be called that. Though that doesn't matter, that's not what I meant at all." The way he said it was tantalizing, eliciting a sudden realization on my part.

"…" I swallowed my breath, forgetting how to breathe.

The sound of a helicopter overhead was the last thing I heard before I passed out.

6-6-6

"You know about as much as I do after that." I told the ranger Gene, "As I was passed out a couple of helicopters took turns rescuing us. I was one of the first out of the water, so I was one of the ones better off."

"Wow what an amazing tale."

"It's all true."

"I know. All those injuries weren't made up. If I recall your principle and vice principle were the ones flown to the hospital."

"Yeah, Fon has a broken leg, and Byakuran went with him. They'll be flown back here once he's taken care of."

Gene stood up, "Everyone else is now either asleep, being treated for cuts, or taking a warm bath. You should join them Fran, before you catch a cold."

I got up to leave.

"Oh and Fran,"

I turned back around.

"Thanks for telling me what happened."

"Yeah, sure, no problem."

I left the room and headed down the small corridor. In one of the rooms, the kitchen, I could hear voices.

"Don't let her near the food." Xanxus growled.

"Do you have a problem with my cooking?" Bianchi asked, "Nothing is wrong with my cooking. Tell him Reborn!"

"Leave me out of it."

I walked over to the next door, this room the rangers prepared so we could all sleep in it. I heard light snoring and muffled voices coming from within.

I kept walking until I came to the bathroom, which was huge! The place had real planets growing on the sides, a giant marble tub that was as big as a small swimming pool, and a place to change. I stripped out of my wet clothes with some difficulty, and wrapped a towel around my waist. I thought I heard the door open and turned around.

"!" I looked at Belphegor. "What are you doing in here?"

"I wanted to take a bath, and there's only one bathroom."

"So! Why didn't you take one earlier?"

"Other people were in it."

"You could have joined them."

"I-pin and Haru?" Belphegor began taking off his clothes, and despite myself I looked away.

"Fine, I see your point. Just… wear a towel, and stay on your half of the tub."

"You make it sound as if I'm a pervert, when you're the one stealing glances at me taking off my clothes."

"It may have been perverted if there had been anything to see. Besides, I was not." I said, gaining my composer back. I walked away after that, to let him finish undressing, and slipped into the tub. My god it felt so good! I sighed into the marble, and tilted my head back. Suddenly I was not alone.

What the hell? "Belphegor I told you to stay on your own side of the tub."

"This is my side."

"…" He wasn't misbehaving, yet, so I decided to drop the argument. It just wasn't worth it.

I found myself looking over at him, whenever I thought he wasn't looking. He was muscular, but not bulky. I felt my eyes tracing over his skin, and couldn't pull myself away, I was mesmerized.

"Like what you see?"

"That's a horribly cliché line that should stay dead and buried."

"I caught you red-handed and now you're embarrassed." He teased me.

"How did you know I was staring at you?"

He titled his head to the side, "Because _I _was staring at _you_."

"Well stop, there's nothing to see."

"I beg to differ."

"I'm going to ignore you now senpai."

"It's been awhile since you called me that." He said thoughtfully. "Kohai."

"You forgot the un-cute." "No, not this time." He said leaning in.

"You're too close." I informed him, keeping my voice straight.

"I know." He pulled away laughing at me.

What. A. Jerk.

It wasn't until a little while later that I heard his voice again, because before that we just sat in a peaceful silence.

"Oops, I dropped my knife."

I turn to look at him, "Who brings a knife into a bathtub?"

"I wanted to clean it."

"You better find it." I said, not daring to move.

"Your wish is my command~" Bel's hands fell below the water, searching for the missing object. I felt the water around me being disturbed but it wasn't until Bel's hand got a little too close that I said something.

"Stop!" My eyes bulged.

"What? I'm just trying to find my knife like you asked me to."

I glared at him, "It's not under my towel."

"Maybe not, but I know I dropped it near you." He smirked.

"What were your hands doing near me? You know what, never mind, I don't want to know." I began feeling around myself. I felt the metal with my fingertips, and heard the metallic sound as it hit the bottom of the tub, but quickly pulled my hand back up. "Damn, I got cut."

Bel leaned in to look at my bleeding forefinger, "Keep it up and the bath water will turn red."

"Don't look so happy about it." I said as I went to dip my hand into the water to wash the blood off.

"No, don't waste it." Before I could react Belphegor grabbed my hand and stuck my injured finger into his open mouth.

My mouth fell open but no words would come out. It was so warm and wet… and his tongue was licking it up and down... sucking on it as if it were one of Spanner's suckers.

I swallowed.

Belphegor began to moan, and that's when I got my senses back. I pulled my hand away from him, "You're sick, you know that?"

Belphegor shot out of the water and all I could see was his back as he left the bathroom.

I stayed in the bathtub, shocked, until eventually the water turned icy cold.

6-6-6

I stood outside the group bedroom nervously. Tsuna told me this is where Belphegor went to. I took a deep breath and opened the door. The blond prince was stretched out on one of the cots, and I made my way over to him. He either didn't see me, or didn't care, because I spoke first.

"Um… here's your knife. I found it when I drained the water."

Belphegor reached up and I placed the knife in his hand.

I stood there awkwardly for a moment before asking, "So why did you leave?"

"Miss me that much?" Belphegor looked up at me, with that ever present smirk on his face.

"Never mind, forget I ever asked." Belphegor laughed at me as I retreated from the room.

I entered the kitchen where everyone was sitting down to eat. After dinner I noticed Belphegor entering the room, but I ignored his presence as I listened to the ranger Gene tell a story.

"So there we were in the middle of camp, all eyes were on me, when-" The phone interrupted him. "Excuse me."

Gene picked it up, "Hello?"

"Oh yes everyone's fine."

"No, I don't think so."

"Reborn? Yes, okay." Gene looked around, "Reborn, it's your principle."

Reborn stood up and grabbed the phone, "Yes?"

"Me?"

"Okay."

"Goodbye."

He hung up, and then noticed we were all staring at him. "He says Fon is fine, they'll meet us at the science center tomorrow afternoon."

"Was that all?" Lal Mirch asked from her position in front of the sink. Much to the ranger's delight the girls offered to do the dishes.

"Oh yeah, and I'm in charge until he gets back."

It could be worse… I think.

Once it got late we all headed for bed. Everyone was just settling down, the lights were off, and I was finally beginning to feel sleepy when I heard the soft sound of footsteps. I looked around and spotted the silhouette in the darkness. I knew that shape like the back of my eyelids, Belphegor.

When he noticed he had my attention he leaned over me and whispered, "So you wanted to know why I left the bathtub, well it was because of you."

"Me…?" I felt a little sad. I had been worried about that. "I'm sorry I called y-"

Bel's smile lit up in the darkness, "You were such a turn on I couldn't stand it anymore and had to go release myself."

…

"You're sick!"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note- **Sorry for the long wait. Good news for this story, I've figured out the entire plot so I now have a destination! Woot! No worries, it's going to be a long time until I get there. During spring break I went to Sakura Con! It was so much fun! And more good news (well for me, I doubt anyone else cares) I finally captured myself a boyfriend! We've been friends for years but now we're dating! He's a good inspiration for my fanfics, though he doesn't know it. xD

Thank you so much for reading, I hope you enjoyed it, and if not I promise the next one will be better! =^0^=


	8. Chicken Little Eat Your Heart Out

Chicken Little Eat Your Heart Out

Reality is so hard for me to comprehend that sometimes my hold on it slips and everything becomes blurry. Like that day I lost my mom. I remember it as if I were just a simple bystander, watching someone else's life unfold like a scene from a movie. I was too young to understand, but old enough to feel the pain. Last night was a lot like that, kind of like a messed up dream. I remembered my shouting woke up everyone else, and then Reborn started lecturing us. Belphegor just laughed through the entire mess, like it didn't concern him in the least! Bastard. On top of all that I apparently wasn't the only one who had trouble getting back to sleep after that.

"Lambo, you're drooling on my shoulder." I shook my seat companion awake. We were riding in one of the countless vans the rangers were using to transport us to the Science Center.

"Sorry 'bout that." He said, wiping away some of the drool off his face.

"It's not your fault," Levi said from behind us, "After all it's not _your _fault you were woken up in the middle of the night."

I blinked at him, "Lambo, I'm worried; I thought I just heard the pig in the backseat talk. But pigs can't talk can they?"

Levi's face turned red with anger, "Why you!"

"Stay in your seat Leviathan," Sqaulo warned from in front us, he was facing forward which made me wonder how he knew what Levi was about to do, "We can't have you strangling students."

Levi grumbled, cursing under his breath about revenge, and sat back in his seat. I sighed, "That guy sure has some serious anger management issues."

Lambo looked at me.

"What? Don't give me that look." I said, turning to look out the window instead of the expression of my fellow classmate. I waited a moment before turning back around to see if he was still looking at me like that. He was. "What?"

He raised his eyebrow.

"I don't goad him into acting that way," I huffed. "I'm sure he's always been an ass with a pig's face."

"I can hear you." Levi's threatening voice wavered near my ear from the other side of the seat.

"Good, I would have been disappointed if you hadn't."

Lambo looked at me, shook his head, and laughed a good natured laugh.

That's what I liked about Lambo, he seemed so carefree and laidback. In electronics class he is always the go to guy for help when Spanner is too busy.

We turned off the dirt road and onto a paved one, that's when the ranger informed us that we would be there in thirty minutes.

"I can't wait!" Lambo said, his eyes sparkling. I knew he was really into science, but from his appearances I would have never pegged him for a nerd.

"Yeah," I said softly in agreement. I reached into my backpack that was sitting between my feet and pulled out a bag of Skittles. They managed to survive yesterday's dip in the lake. I noticed Lambo eyeing it and offered him the bag, "Want some?"

He hesitated too long then said, "No thank you."

"Are you sure?" I shook the bag, "They're rainbowlicious."

"That's not a word."

"Does it matter?"

Lambo finally held out his hand, "I suppose, just don't give me a lot."

I poured him a handful and tossed some into my own mouth. I liked candy, just didn't eat it all the time.

"Ooo can I have some?" Lussuria, who had the misfortune of having to sit by Levi, asked me.

"You're already gay enough, Skittles would be overkill." Levi muttered condescendingly.

I don't think I've ever experienced a more hostile and uncomfortable situation. Everyone in our van stopped talking. Lussuria wore a hurt expression, one without his usual humor behind it. I could hear Squalo's teeth grind, and he was in the front seat. I myself nearly choked on the candy that was in my mouth. Not because of the rudeness of Levi, nor what he said, but the realization I had from hearing it.

The silence dragged on but I took no notice of it because my heart was too busy flooding my ears with sound. Anything could have happened in those moments and I wouldn't have been aware for my thoughts blocked out everything else. I liked Belphegor… therefore I am gay. I. Am. Gay. I am gay. I have been living blindly these past few days, for surely it hasn't been that long, but within a moment's breath of my life my entire sexuality had changed. Or have I always liked guys? I don't know… I didn't think so. I had never thought about it before now but almost everyone I knew was… that way. What the hell was in the water at my school? Calm down Fran, you, no I, I am way over reacting here. It's not that big of a deal. Breathe!

"Are you okay Fran? Fran?"

I was snapped out of my, well I don't know what to call it, by Lambo talking to me and shaking my arm. It took me a moment but I replied, "Yeah, why?"

"You were hyperventilating…" Lambo explained to me.

"What?" I must have been looking at Lambo like he was crazy because he asked, "So you weren't aware of it?"

"No… in fact I didn't think I was breathing."

"You had us worried there kid," Sqaulo said, though he didn't sound worried. "If you had died on my watch Byakuran would have killed me."

After he said that I noticed the tension that had been there was gone, probably because of me. They're welcome.

"Will you be okay?" Lussuria asked me, looking like he was dieing to take care of me like a mother hen.

"Yeah." I located my candy bag, which I had dropped at some point, and offered it out to the drama teacher, "Did you want some?"

"No thanks." He politely declined.

I heard Levi snort so I turned around in my seat to face him, and said what I should have said the first time. In a calm voice overflowing with venom I said to him, "Why don't you shut up or go die in a bucket, because if you say one more comment like that ever again in my presence, I'll shove rainbows down your throat until you choke."

"That's impossible to do." Levi laughed at me.

"Not if I use crystals which create rainbows when light hits them, but oh wait, where you're going it will be too dark for that to work."

"Well looks like you're out of luck."

I smiled, "The next best thing I suppose I could do is to tell the police that you've attacked me before and have you sent to prison where your jail mate would have it so you wouldn't be out of bed for weeks. It would be an ironic justice don't you think?"

"So? You just told everyone what you would do. So now they could tell the police it was all planned by you."

I looked around at everyone else.

"I didn't hear anything." Lambo said quietly.

"I'm busy driving, leave me out of this." The ranger said.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Lussuria said, taking the bag of Skittles away from me.

"You guys need to stop fighting. If we weren't in a van I would have kicked both your asses by now." Sqaulo said, and I momentarily felt guilty because I knew Levi lived with him so they must be something like friends. Then again Sqaulo was always beating him up…

"You can't hit children." Lussuria reminded him.

"Fine, I'll just kick the Leviathan's ass."

"How's that fair?" I could see the veins on Levi's face and neck.

"Tough luck," I told him, "You might want to get that fixed. I know a great leprechaun who can sell you a rabbit's foot that really works. All you have to do is follow a rainbow and he'll be at the end of it."

"Do you hate me?" He asked me.

"What kind of a silly question is that? I have never met someone who I've hated more than you-"

"Not even Rasiel?" Levi interrupted me, and by his smug attitude I assumed he knew my history with Bel's twin.

"Not even Rasiel." He seemed happy about that, like getting under my skin was an honor, "But hey, poking fun of you is always the highlight of my day."

He growled at me.

I smiled, waved at him, and sat back normally in my seat. I didn't usually blow up like that, okay well maybe that's not completely true, but I was tired, and he deserved it. I spent the rest of the ride thinking about nothing in particular. I wondered how dad was doing without me, hoping he was managing to survive on his own. I think I missed him, and it was only day three out of seven of our field trip.

6-6-6

"Okay everyone stop moving so I can do a head count." Reborn said and we instantly settled down. We had been dropped off in this huge parking lot outside the Science Center, but the rangers had to get back to their station so they left without much of a goodbye. I bet they were glad to be free of us!

"Wow, that's amazing! I can never get them to listen to me like that." A familiar voice sounded from the front doors and we all turned our heads. Our white-haired principle walked over to us while pushing a wheelchair, with our vice principle as its contents. He wheeled the man right over to us and said, "Good morning! It's great to see all your smiling faces again… you guys look like shit."

"And you seem to be glowing, which is unnatural considering the angle of the sun and the small amount of perspiration on your skin." Verde said, examining Byakuran. The man just chuckled.

"So what happened to you guys?" Fon inquired.

Lussuria stepped forward from the crowd and pointed in my direction, "Why don't you ask them?"

Them? I turned my head to the right and there stood Belphegor. When the hell did he get there? I noticed everyone was staring at us so I calmly said, "I told you the other night that nothing happened."

Lussuria giggled, "Uh huh, nothing happened."

Skull, who was leaning on Gamma, added, "Sure. We believe you."

Byakuran gasped, "Frannie!"

I paled a little but kept my voice level, "I'm telling you nothing happened."

"Well, did anything happen?" Byakuran looked over at Belphegor, who just smirked, "Frannie!"

"Bel!" I finally said, letting some of my emotions show. The blond demon "Prince" just laughed, and that was the straw that broke the camel's back, "Nothing happened okay? Bel-senpai was just being his usual perverted self, but nothing happened. And why in the world would you believe him and not me? He's obviously a liar! He calls himself a Prince for goodness sake. He always laughs, and he's always grinning like the cat that ate the canary, so why would you automatically assume something happened when he does something so completely ordinary?"

There was a moment of silence then everyone burst out laughing, everyone but me that was.

Byakuran was laughing so hard tears were coming out of his eyes, and he had to wipe them away, "Frannie, you're so cute when you're mad!"

Lussuria made an innocent face, "We were just joking around."

"Can't you take a joke?" Skull asked.

"You should have seen your face!" Hana was laughing, holding onto her stomach. "I didn't think you were capable of turning so red."

"You look like a tomato with your green hair." Haru said sweetly.

Hayato didn't help the situation any by adding, "I've only ever seen him get this worked up about something if it has something to do with frogs, or Belphegor."

I felt speechless, but finally I was able to force words through my lips, "… I hate you guys."

6-6-6

Right off the bat in the science center we were dived into groups to take tours of the place. I guess the rest of our school had done it the first day they got here, so we were the only ones going on it now. I got stuck with Fon, Byakuran, Uni, Gamma, Futa, and Hayato in my group. Really Byakuran was the one that picked who went with who, and I think he just wanted to torture me… If leprechauns really did exist I would follow a rainbow to find one so I could have better luck, because mine seemed worse than Levi's. I just didn't need him knowing that.

We got to leave our stuff in the science center's staff's hands for the time being.

Our tour guide was an older woman with graying blond hair. Her smile looked weary but she began leading us through some of their exhibits. We followed a path made entirely of black tiles. There was a high ceiling when we first walked in but as we went into the halls it got lower. The walls were made of glass, allowing us to see what was inside.

"This Science Center which has been around for over fifty years has many different aspects."

Futa raised his hand.

The women's smile faltered, I got a glimpse of her nametag and saw that her name was Jennifer, "I see we have a question. Yes young man?"

"Have you been working here all this time?"

Jennifer glowered at him for a brief moment then forced a smile and said curtly, "I'm only thirty-two."

"But you look-" Uni coved Futa's mouth with her hand and said sweetly, "Please continue."

"As I was saying," She added emphasis to her words, "There's a part of the center dedicated to science's history, and it's a huge museum, which is the part we'll be looking at today. There's also a research building not connected to this main one, where scientist come to experiment and do field studies on the environment. We also have an engineering room to the right of where you first came in, and in there they are working on inventions."

We began walking, she began talking, but her voice was so blah that I stopped listening after the first few minutes. There was a point in our tour where we had a chance to look at the exhibits that we wanted to. I got bored after the first five minutes and I noticed the same of Hayato and Futa. Uni appeared to be in an in-depth conversation with Fon about white stars, though Fon's not a science teacher so it made me wonder what they were saying. Byakuran was examining the outfit of a famous scientist in some portrait, I could just picture the man wearing it, and the scary thing was it wouldn't look too bad on him. Then there was Gamma who was asking our tour guide about the structure of the building, and how sound the support beams were. Not sure why…

"Fran," Hayato waved me over, "This is stupid, let's leave."

"I thought you were into this stuff."

"I am, but I already know all about this material." I knew that statement was true. Through the course of our tour he had corrected the guide at least seven times. "So let's blow this joint."

"Hayato, I thought we told you no explosives."

"No, I mean lets do something else somewhere else." He laughed at me.

"How about we play tag." Futa said, joining us so that we stood in a triangle formation.

"Do we look like kindergarteners to you?" Hayato asked the shorter boy.

"Not it." I said quickly, Hayato gave me a surprised look.

"I'll be it first." Futa volunteered. "You get a five second head-start. Go!"

Both Hayato and I sprinted forward. I didn't think the teachers who were supposed to be looking after us noticed us leaving, if so they didn't say anything. Hayato and I went down the same hallway, and we heard Futa coming after us. For two minutes we stayed out of the reach of the smaller boy. I finally took pity on him and allowed him to tag me in a manner so that it wasn't obvious.

"Tag you're it!" Futa said tapping my shoulder, slightly out of breath.

"Dang." I said then located Hayato with my eyes, "Better look out Hayato."

"Catch me if you can!" He called as he ran off. I gave him five seconds then started after him.

The place was so huge it was easy to quickly become lost in it, like a maze, and I had lost sight of Hayato in no time. It took me another minute, but I managed to find him again running behind a water fountain. I wasn't going to loose him a second time so I picked up speed. I was getting closer to him, and was about to tag him, when he swerved out of the way, and I collided with someone else.

"Oops, sorry I-" I looked up and saw who it was, praying it wasn't a security guard or one of our teachers, "Oh wait it's you."

"Does this mean I'm it?" A flash of white teeth.

Oh shit… I did a 180 and began running in the opposite direction. Of all the rotten luck I just had to run into Belphegor, who from the looks of it also snuck away from his tour group. I twisted through statues, tried to lose him in a corridor, and even dashed into a few crowds. Sadly no matter what I did I couldn't get him off my tail. He got so close, and I was practically cornered, so I dashed into the gift shop. I hadn't taken more than ten steps when I felt the full force of Bel tackling me to the ground. I wondered how many times that would happen in my lifetime. We hit a display stand on the way down to the floor, and I herd a loud crash before the wind was knocked out of me.

Feeling slightly winded and a little dizzy I felt Belphegor pull off me then heard an angry voice ring in my ears, "You break it you buy it, now cough up the money!"

I was barely on my feet, thanks to the help of a table, and the store owner was already waving the price tag under my nose. I grabbed the slip of paper and read the number. Holy cow that was a lot of zeros for a gift shop item! Shit, I couldn't pay for this. I didn't have that kind of money on me…

"Here." Belphegor pulled out a wad of cash and handed it to the man, who greedily went to the cash register to count it up.

I stared at him, "Did you rob a bank on the way here?"

"I told you I was a Prince."

Oh, damn, that wasn't a lie? I though that when those kids from Biology told me that they were lying as well. "Well thanks for taking care of it."

"Wait just a minute, we both knocked it down so you have to pay for half."

My face fell, "But at the moment I don't have a penny to my name. I'll pay you back when we get home."

"No deal."

I wasn't surprised by his answer and turned to the owner who had clearly been listening to us, "I'm afraid I can't pay my half right now. Can you send a bill to my house?"

"Oh no," He said shaking his head, "I've heard that before, next thing I know I'm trying to send a letter to My Homie Montana."

"What?" I asked him, a little bit confused.

"A kid last year broke a laser pen, had no money on him, so out of the kindness of my heart I let him write down his home address. When I went to send the bill it turned out to be a fake." The man scowled at the memory.

"Well then how do you expect me to pay when I have no money?"

"You'll just have to stay here until a family member can pay for it."

"Are you allowed to do that?" I was skeptical.

"As a matter of fact I can," The owner walked off to assist a costumer, leaving me feeling pretty shitty.

I looked over at Belphegor, "I would pay you back, why won't you let me borrow the money?"

All he did was grin, but this grin was different than his usual, this one had evil written all over it. I felt a chill run up my spine and my arms broke out in goose bumps. "What do you want?"

"I don't know. What do you have to offer?"

"…"

"Hey there you are Fran, we've been looking-" Hayato's voice called to me from the shop's entrance. "-oh you're with Belphegor… hey Bel, has anyone ever told you that you look like a creeper with that smile on your face?"

"I have."

They both looked at me.

"Multiple times."

"…well," Hayato shuffled his feet awkwardly, "I'll just leave you two-"

"Wait!" Hayato jumped, surprised at my sudden outburst, "Hayato, do you have any money I can borrow? I'll pay you back when I get home."

"Yeah sure, how much do you need?" He asked, taking out his wallet.

"Uh… it's kind of a lot."

"How much?"

"Five-hundred dollars."

He smiled, "Yeah I-"

I felt the temperature drop a few degrees and another chill went up my spine.

"'m sorry, I don't have enough." Hayato said, shoving the paper bills back into his wallet.

"Wa-"

"I got to go!" Hayato turned tail and ran out.

"Wait Hayato!" I turned around and wasn't shocked by the evil aura I saw surrounding Bel.

He noticed me looking at him, "Hmm?"

"You did that on purpose."

"Did what?" He asked innocently.

"All of this is your fault you know."

"I plead not guilty."

"Hayato was going to give me the money I need, and you scared him away."

He continued to smile, "Innocent until proven otherwise."

"…"

"So where were we?" He brought us back to our previous conversation.

"I knew it."

"So what were you going to offer me?" He titled his ear to me, to indicate he was listening intently.

I dropped my anger momentarily. I was in a really tight spot and Bel-senpai was playing games, he was older, wasn't he supposed to be the more mature one? I stared at my feet as I shuffled them around. I finally mumbled, "I don't have anything of value…"

"I beg to differ," Belphegor's breath was warm against my face and my eyes darted up to check and see how close he really was. He was far enough away that I had no reason to freak-out, and so I replied, "Well fine then, what do you want?"

"I-" Bel stopped talking and I watched as different emotions flickered across his face and I could only imagine what his intricate violet eyes were saying. At that moment the owner came back, Belphegor turned to him, and handed him another wad of cash.

"What's this?" The owner inquired.

"The rest of the money." After saying that he rushed out of the shop, not giving me enough time to respond to his actions.

He left me standing there inside the shop, "Bel…?"

The owner handed me a bag. I looked at the bag, "What's this?"

"The item you broke. Would you give it to the young man who paid for it, seeing as you know him and all?"

"Yeah, sure." I slipped the item into my pocket and walked out of the shop in a daze.

"Frannie there you are!" I saw the man before I registered what he said.

Fon wheeled himself so that he was in front of me, "You shouldn't have run off like that."

I stared at the two, "Sorry."

"Well it's time for lunch now. Let's go join the others so we can eat." Byakuran said, placing his hand on my shoulder and maneuvered me along.

The cafeteria was much larger than our school's, and the ceiling was so high that all our voices echoed. I got my lunch and sat down amongst my friends who were talking about what they saw today.

"It was so huge! I couldn't believe they got it through the doors." Lambo was saying.

"They probably had it in pieces then brought it in." Hana said, munching on chips.

"Did you see that marble water fountain?" Chrome asked enthusiastically but then Ken elbowed her and she stopped.

"Yeah I did," Kyoko said, smiling at the other girl, "It was like something you would see in a palace."

Ryohei, talking with his mouth full of food, said, "Those solar panels were to the extreme, powering that entire room full of electronics!"

"Brother!" Kyoko pulled her brother back down onto his pant's pockets, "Talk after you're done eating, not at the same time."

"Sorry!" He beamed at her, and then continued to shove more food into his mouth.

"Would you like my fortune cookie?" I-pin offered Hibari who was a good couple of seats away from everyone else.

"No thank you."

"Oh, okay."

"I'll take it!" Longchamp said springing out of his seat and grabbing it. I-pin looked surprised and disappointed.

"Give it back to her or I'll bite you to death."

"Eww you're a cannibal?" Longchamp asked Hibari

Hibari stood up. Longchamp realized his mistake, and threw the cookie at Hibari then ran. The boy turned around and offered the cookie back to I-pin.

"Ah, thank you!" She bowed her head in thanks.

The teachers were sitting at a different table, probably glad to be getting some time away from us kids.

"Hey Fran, is something wrong?" Tsuna asked me from across the table."

"No, I'm just thinking."

I noticed Hayato flinch from the corner of my eye. He then stood up and walked over to me, "Um Fran? I wanted to say sorry for leaving you like that. Do you still need the money?"

Tsuna gave us a questioning look but went on eating his lunch.

I turned to Hayato, "It's fine. I don't need the money anymore, but thanks."

"Oh, okay, well that's good." He turned to go back to his seat.

"And one more thing Hayato," He stopped and looked at me from over his shoulder, "Thank you."

Hayato looked confused because I had already thanked him, "What for?"

I smiled, shook my head, and got up to dump my uneaten food.

6-6-6

After lunch our entire group was to take one last tour. I think it was just a last run-through of things, but no matter what I wouldn't have been paying attention. I tend to get easily distracted sometimes. There seemed to be another group of students who arrived at the science center. I noticed their bus come in at lunchtime, and now they were splitting off into the individual tours. Their voices were loud, much louder than ours.

I was blankly staring at them when I noticed a group of their boys break off and head towards Kyoko who was getting a drink from the drinking fountain. This normally wouldn't send alarms through my head but they seemed to be a little too giddy for going to get a drink of water, and I didn't see any of the other girls around Kyoko, which was odd because girls tend to move in large packs. Yeah, I don't know why either. I looked back at our tour group who seemed to finally be moving along, then back at her. The group of boys had by now reached her, and I didn't wait any longer before rushing over.

One of the guys, probably their leader by the looks of his shitty haircut, said to her, "Hey baby girl, come on lets you and me ditch this place and get to know each other better."

"Uh no thank you, I'm with my class."

"Well I could tech you a little science myself, human anatomy that is." The guy said stepping closer to Kyoko, who in turn tried to step backward.

"That's the cheesiest pickup line I've ever heard used in practice." I said, glad I got there before anything happened. Though you'd think with this going on in the middle of a science center someone would notice, but as I looked around I saw no one else there, not even a guard. What were they getting paid for?

"Fran!" Kyoko said my name and I could read the relief on her face.

I wasn't sure how much help I would be, and it probably would have been smart if I had gotten someone bigger to help, but it was too late now. The guy's friends surrounded me, like something gangsters would do in a back alley, which ultimately allowed Kyoko some space and freedom. Our eyes made contact, and I think my eyes held more fear than hers because she looked determined. A split second later she ran off to where we both knew our tour group went.

"Damn it after her!" The guy ordered. One of his friends went to follow her but I stuck my foot out and tripped him when he passed by me. He fell to the floor, hard, and at that moment I knew I was in big trouble. I should have never tried playing the hero.

"Why you little brat you're going to pay for that." The guy said, picking himself up off the floor.

One of them snickered, "But before we can deliver the proper punishment we have to know whether or not it's a boy or girl."

"Isn't it obvious? Look at my chest, it's flat."

"So your breasts could be small, we'll have to look elsewhere for the answer."

"Okay fine." I reached down to the top button of my pants and all their eyes followed. Perverts. Once I was sure I had their attention I darted through an opening left by two of the guys. Of course I realized I was heading in the opposite direction of my tour group, but there was no way I could turn around and still get by them. I could hear the sound of their heavy footfalls behind me. I didn't want to leave the building; if I did I would be lowering my chances of finding help, so I took a turn down one of the hallways.

I saw the two doors and cursed myself. All that was down this hall were the bathrooms. Out of reflex I ran into the Men's restroom, and knowing full well I couldn't keep the door shut against their combined forces, I had to come up with a quick plan. I knew if I went into a stall and locked the door I would be telling them exactly where I was hiding. Instead I shut the very last door to give the illusion that it was shut, and ran back to the second one. Just as they entered the restroom I hid myself behind the door. I silently prayed that they just focused on the shut door, and not look at the floor where they would see my feet.

"You can run but you can't hide."

When I saw that they were all away from the door leading out, and over by my trick, I made a dash for it. They immediately saw me and gave chase.

I was looking behind me, judging how far behind they were, when I was grabbed from the front. I hadn't thought that they would be smart enough to leave someone outside incase I got passed them. I underestimated them. I struggled in my captor's grasp, trying hopelessly to free myself, for they had a steel like grip on me almost as if they planned to never let me go.

I heard the others stop behind me and I knew I was in for a world of hurt.

It seemed to take forever but finally I heard the leader's voice ask, "Who the hell are you?"

It startled me, and I stopped trying to escape.

"I'm his teacher." I instantly recognized the voice which wasn't coming from who was holding me, but from somewhere behind. I heard the sound of a sword sliding from out of its sheath, "So who wants to play?"

"Oh shit that guy has a fucking sword!" The sound of their feet running by was all that I heard after that, but I couldn't see them because my face was still smashed against the other person.

"Vooooooooooiiiiiiiii!" I heard Sqaulo yell as he chased after them. I didn't feel sorry for them.

I tried pushing away from the person, but they wouldn't let me go. That's when I smelt it, that familiar sent that identified the owner as much as the hair or smile would have. But of course, who else would save me but my Prince? Isn't it always like that? I felt a lump form in my throat, and I tried to swallow down the girly emotions that seemed to want to rise up like bile. I wasn't sure why he wasn't saying anything, and if I tried to those emotions might come out, so instead I managed to wiggle my hands free so that they were clinging onto his forearms. We stood like that, just holding onto each other, until I finally felt like I had control over my voice.

"Bel-senpai," I said, though my voice sounded muffled even to my own ears. He didn't respond.

Moments later I heard Sqaulo return, "Damn teachers, wouldn't let me whack their students, but those kids are in big trouble and are being sent home. It's a good thing Kyoko found us or else those boys might have lost more than their fieldtrip."

"What do you mean?" I asked him, and it appeared that he heard me because he replied, "Haven't you notice? For some reason or another, and I really have no idea why, but Belphegor was so upset the only thing that kept him from killing those boys was holding onto you. And even now his body is shaking, his smile is wiped clean off his face, and his voice is silenced by anger. If anything had happened to you do you really think those boys' hearts would still be pumping blood?"

Sqaulo placed his hand on Bel's shoulder, "Why don't you let him go before you smother him?"

At that I felt Bel shift, and his arms relaxed around me if only by a fraction.

"You're going to have to do better than that."

Bel let go of me, and I caught myself feeling disappointed. His face was set in stone, and the expression he wore scared me. I found myself backing up a few steps.

"Oh thank god!" I heard Kyoko's voice and she was followed by Lal Mirch. She ran up to me and hugged me, not quite as tight as Bel's embrace had been. I could tell she had been crying and I felt guilty for worrying her so much. "Thank you so much for saving me from those guys, I would have never been able to escape them like you had." "No problem," At that I noticed Bel's lips curl into a snarl, "Anyone would have done it."

"We should get back to the tour now that all this excitement is over." Lal Mirch said, and at that Sqaulo and Kyoko began to follow her. I tried to, but when I did Belphegor matched each of my steps, not allowing me out of the hallway.

Lal Mirch noticed and I saw she was about to say something when Sqaulo whispered something to her. She seemed reluctant at first, but then kept walking.

I looked at Belphegor, whose expression hadn't changed.

"Okay let me have it." I said a little scared about what the outcome might be.

He didn't say anything, which was worse than if he had.

"I had to help her." I told him, trying my best to not look away from him, "She was more in danger than I would have been. I mean once they got my pants pulled down and saw that I was a boy they would probably have just beaten me up-"

Crap, I think I made things worse by mentioning that.

"They didn't catch me. I would have gotten away from them." I didn't sound so sure of myself. I sighed, frustrated, "Can you please just say something?"

Belphegor stepped closer to me, his face still twisted up as if he were in pain, "What you did today was stupid-"

"You could have been hurt and-" He kept stopping mid sentence to start a new one.

"They could have-"

"You shouldn't have-"

"I was-" He seemed to give up on trying to speak after that.

I dropped my head, "I didn't mean to make you worry, Bel…phegor. But- please don't be mad at me… I don't think I could stand you not talking to me." I recalled the second day of school and how miserable I had been.

His face became lax and he stepped closer, "Do you know what angered me the most about all this?"

I shook my head no.

"When you knew you were in danger, and that you needed help, you didn't call for anyone to come save you."

"I didn't think anyone would hear me, you guys were already gone."

He leaned down and placed his forehead on mine, "Silly frog, you should know by now that I'll always hear your voice when it calls my name."

"Belphegor…" I felt my cheeks become red. At first I thought he was going to ruin it by saying something like 'even when you call out to me in your sleep', which I don't, and he didn't. Instead he turned around and said, "We probably should go join them."

"Yeah." I began to follow him, but then stopped and said, "Hey Belphegor."

"Hm?"

"Next time I need help, I'll call out for you." He hastily turned around, the motion was fast enough that his hair flew out of his face, and his eyes stopped to rest on mine. He smiled, and so did his eyes, "Good, I'll hold you to that."

My heart missed a beat, and I just knew I was wearing a goofy expression, but I couldn't convince my face to do otherwise. Bel gave off a warm laugh, placed his hand on top of my head, and kissed my forehead, "For a frog, you can be endearing sometimes."

With that he adjusted his hair so that it was in his face again and we continued our walk back to the group. We were leaving the matter behind us both slightly closer and me just slightly more in love.

6-6-6

"So you're just going to leave us in the middle of our tour? What kind of an operation are you running here?" I heard Byakuran's voice as soon as we merged with the rest of our party.

"I'm really sorry sir, but there's something I must take care of at once." Our tour guide, who this time was a man, began rubbing his hands together apprehensively.

"Where's the boss of this place, I want to speak with him." Byakuran said, disregarding the man.

"How about I make a deal with you." The man offered reluctantly.

"I'm listening."

"If you'd like I can have it arranged so that you and your group get to stay at our hotel that was just finished being built a week ago. I guarantee you it has already been furnished and has a lovely decor."

Byakuran didn't smile, "Where's your boss?" "And!" The man added quickly, "Instead of joining the rest of your school you can eat dinner in our ballroom, which I assure you is a great honor reserved only for our most prestige guests."

"I take it your boss isn't here, and that this trouble you spoke of is something he shouldn't get word of." Byakuran's eyes became slanted, and I realized he was blackmailing the man.

"What more do you want?"

Byakuran looked around, "Well we're going to be awfully bored until dinner time, what with no tour and all, what do you propose we do until then?"

"Uh well…"

"I saw an interesting area awhile ago, looked like an arcade." "I assure you it's not."

Byakuran frowned, "Still looked like a lot of fun."

"But that place is off limits!"

"What's your boss's number?"

The man hesitated.

"Doesn't matter whether or not you give it to me, I'm sure I can get it from somewhere else." Byakuran smiled the exact moment the man's facial features caved.

"Fine, I'll open it up for you. Follow me."

We followed the man, and the room he opened up was like something out of a science fiction film. There were clusters of space pods type things that were suspended in air though still connected to the floor and ceiling.

"These are space simulators. They fit four to a pod." The man explained. Before he had finished his sentence our group was already upon them. "Careful with that! Don't touch that! Oh god I'm going to be fired…"

"You better run along now and fix that problem of yours." Byakuran said, showing the tour guide out.

There were eight pods and we got into groups which went like this:

Pod 1- Hibari, Dino (no one else wanted to be with Hibari)

Pod2- Hana, Kyoko, Haru, I-pin

Pod3- Mukuro, Chrome, Ken, and Chikusa

Pod4- Gamma, Uni, Reborn, Lambo

Pod5- Genkishi, Ginger, Rasiel, Levi

Pod6- Spanner, Tsuna, me, Belphegor

Pod7- Hayato, Yamamoto, Futa, Basil

Pod8- Lancia, Viper, Lussuria, and Ryohei

I was happy to have Spanner in our pod, because he was so good with technology we allowed him to be the mechanic. Tsuna was the driver because Spanner was sure he could do it, and he was there to coach him if he couldn't. Belphegor wanted to be weapons, and so we allowed him to. I got the job of communications, so I got to listen in to all the other communicators. Not everyone got to be in the pods, but some of us didn't want to. Byakuran didn't want to go because Fon couldn't with his injured leg. Shoichi, who always seemed like an outsider, stayed by Byakuran and Fon. Sqaulo and Xanxus had left to go find something better to do. Bianchi and Dr. Shamal were taking care of Longchamp who was feeling sick, probably from all the junk food he ate at lunch. Because of Skull's ankle he couldn't go in a pod, and Verde was trying to entertain him by talking about how the pods actually worked. Lal Mirch and Colonnello were playing around with a temperature gun which they had found "just laying round" in the room. Sometimes the adults acted more like the children than the children.

"Are you ready?" Spanner asked an uneasy Tsuna.

"I'm not sure about this…"

"You'll do fine." Spanner said as he began flipping switches.

I got to sit in the back beside Bel, and I noticed how he was checking his guns. He went about it in a very serious manner. I wonder why?

"So the goal is to be the last one standing." Spanner said as our pod came to life. The thing shook slightly, and the large screen in front of us turned on to a scene of clear blue sky.

"We have to launch off of earth I guess, and then go into space." Spanner said while trying to locate a map.

"How do you know all this?" I asked him.

"The board outside said so."

"Oh."

When Tsuna, with the help of Spanner, launched us into space it felt like we were going through turbulence. It got so rough at one point that I found myself crashing into Belphegor. Yay for no seatbelts! Once we were finally in space the game started. We got hit several times on our left flank, but nothing serious enough to make us crash.

"Hey pod number six, we should form an alliance!" I heard Lussuria's voice through my headphones.

I relayed the message to the others, and asked them what they wanted to do. Everyone agreed to it but Belphegor, so I replied, "Sure thing pod eight."

In the background as Lussuria confirmed it I could hear Ryohei screaming 'to the extreme'. I figured he was either on guns or steering their pod. The pod on screen doing loop after loop confirmed that it was the latter. I kind of felt sick watching them, and was thankful Tsuna wasn't reckless.

We played for several hours, and a couple different games of it. The first time we crashed it was really scary, and I thought the pod had come unhinged from the ceiling, but we were fine, and in the end it was a lot of fun. We had even taken turns playing the different roles. Turns out I was best as steering and worst at guns.

"Come on guys time for dinner." Byakuran somehow managed to get onto our communications channel, and we all did suicide and got out.

"That was so much fun." Ginger was saying as he wobbled about. I admit it was hard getting used to standing again.

"Yeah." Was all Genkishi said to that.

I could tell Hibari and Dino had a good time too, even though they never won a game, and were almost always the first out, because they were both smiling, though Dino more so than Hibari. I suppose it would be hard for anyone to win if they only played with two people.

6-6-6

We were led to the ballroom by our tour guide, after he did an inspection of the pods. If I thought the pod room was amazing this room was like mind-boggling. A dozen triple layer crystal chandeliers hung on the ceiling, creating a heavenly sparkle above. Round tables were strategically placed on the newly waxed floor, along with their intricately carved mahogany chairs. Each table was adorned with a dark red tablecloth, and a vase of white roses in the center. The entire room was trimmed with gold fixtures, giving the overall appearance of something out of a fairytale.

"Oh wow!" Shoichi gasped.

"It's beautiful," Kyoko sighed.

Everyone went to grab a table, but I just stood their needing a minute to take it all in.

"It's odd…" Fon commented, "How could the science center afford something so fancy."

"On top of it the new hotel…" Byakuran lowered his eyes and looked down at Fon, "Odd indeed."

They noticed me looking at them, gave me wary smiles, and left to go find a seat. I frowned, but decided to leave it be. I looked around, but most of the tables were taken. I saw a table relatively empty, only occupied by Dino, Hibari, and Spanner. I sat down beside the awkward man. We ate dinner in relative silence, and only a few incidences occurred where Dino spilt his water and Hibari threw salt in the man's eyes.

After our dishes were taken away by one of the staff Spanner asked me, "So why didn't you sit with your friends?"

"Why didn't you sit by Tsuna?" I countered.

"What's that suppose to mean?"

"Exactly as it sounds." I replied.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"There was no more room at the table," I finally explained, eyeing the table that was completely surrounded.

"Ah."

Silence.

"Do you like suckers?"

"Do you always have one of those in your mouth?" I asked, thinking about the fist time I saw him.

"No, sometimes I have other things." He shrugged.

"!" My eyes bulged.

"By your expression I assume you took that wrong."

I blushed, "Sorry, I've been around people who are a bad influence on me. So what _did _you mean by that?"

"Lollipops."

"Isn't that the same as suckers?"

"No, there is a definite difference. Lollipops are bigger." He said matter-of-factly.

"Of course they are, and I just happen to have one."

I twisted around in my seat to see Belphegor standing behind my chair. When did he get there?

Spanner stood up, mumbled a goodbye and left.

Belphegor leaned down, "So about my lollipop, wanna lick?"

At his words my eyes instantly dropped, a blush spread across my face, and my eyes darted back up to his. "Bel-senpai is gross."

"What? It's just candy." He leaned even closer, "So do you want it or not?"

"I-" My words were stopped when Bel placed a lollipop against my lips. I glared at him. He wiggled it a few times, urging me to lick it. I internally sighed and indulged him. The purple colored candy tasted sweet, though it wasn't the flavor I was expecting, but a mix between cherry and vanilla. After a few licks I grabbed the stick away from Bel, and pulled it away from my mouth. "You really did mean the candy. Where did you get this?"

"Stole it from a baby."

"Why am I not surprised?"

"Kekeke!"

Suddenly I remembered the topic that had been weighing heavily on my mind; in all the commotion from earlier I had forgotten it up to this point, "Hey Bel can I talk to you about-"

"Okay kids time for bed!" Byakuran called.

Crap.

Bel smirked at me and walked off. I guess I would have to talk to him later, about what happened in the gift shop. Oh yeah, I also still had whatever we broke in my pocket!

6-6-6

Our walk to the hotel was a short one, but the night air was chilly and it made me glad we weren't camping outside like the rest of our school. Haha suckers! I blushed at the word remembering my conversation with Bel that only happened moments ago. I think he forever ruined that word for me.

"So we need to have at least one teacher in each room to chaperon." Colonnello was saying to Fon.

"What don't trust us?" Rasiel asked, snickering.

"Not you, but we promised the science center staff we would look after you kids." Colonnello replied.

The hotel was nothing fancy, more like a place for tourists, but I wasn't about to complain. We were split into groups of threes, and the teachers made a point of splitting up Belphegor and me. Not like we would have done anything… geeze. Bel ended up with Dino and Yamamoto, where as I ended up with Colonnello and Mukuro.

We got to our room and the first problem came up, there were only two beds.

"I'm not sharing mine." Colonnello said, placing his stuff on the bed closest to the door, which left the bed by the window.

"Neither am I." Mukuro smirked, dropped his stuff on the floor, and left to the bathroom.

I sighed. I could already tell it was going to be a long night.

6-6-6

"Fran come here a moment." Mukuro motioned to me from the other end of the bed.

"Yes?" I scooted next to him.

"I want to show you a magic trick." He said, eyes flashing with mischievousness.

"Aren't you a little old for that?"

Mukuro stabbed my pillow with a fork, tearing out some of the stuffing. "It's more of an art of deception."

"Ooo, teach me great master."

He stabbed my pillow once more, "Don't mock me, but keep up the master bit because I like the sound of it."

"Kinky."

Ignoring me he said, "Let's get started, though we won't finish tonight."

I had never spent so much time with Mukuro before so for the life of me couldn't see why he wanted to teach me how to create illusions.

"Now the eye can be easily tricked with the right amount of light or shadow and there's only so much the brain can comprehend after all." Mukuro opened up the window. The combination of shadows, moonlight, lamplight, and something else made Mukuro appear to have wings.

I blinked, rubbed my eyes, and when they didn't disappear I reach out to touch them. They felt soft, and I instantly withdrew my hand, "No way…"

My eyes snapped open from my dream at the sudden pressure on my arm. I went to say something but a hand clamped over my mouth. I peered through the darkness and recognized the shape hovering over me. "Hey Fran, I want to show you the stars."

My eyes flickered over to a sleeping Colonnello, then back to Belphegor.

"If you keep quiet we can sneak out of here." Bel whispered, appearing to have read my thoughts. He found my hand within the folds of my blankets and pulled me unsteadily to my feet, thankfully I had ended up sleeping on the floor.

I wasn't sure whether or not to go with him, but seeing as he was leading me to the door… I assumed my feet had already decided for me. He opened the door I knew for a fact Colonnello had locked earlier. Which brought up the question of how in the world did he get in?

I kept silent until we were outside, but once there I couldn't stay quiet anymore, "Belphegor, what do you think you're doing?"

"Like I said, I want to show you the stars."

I looked up at the nighttime sky but I couldn't see the stars because of the heavy cloud cover. "It's impossible to see them right now. What a waste of time, I'm going back to bed."

"Not so fast," He grabbed my shoulder and dragged me back. "Those stars aren't the stars I wanted to show you."

I gulped, thinking about the phrase and all it entailed. He wasn't talking about sex was he?

"Now close your eyes or I'll gouge them out."

I obeyed his order, though not because of his threat, but because I was curious as to what stars he meant. He began leading me, "Where are you taking me Bel-senpai?"

"It's a surprise."

I bit my lower lip then mumbled, "I don't think I like surprises."

"I think you'll like this one."

We entered a building. I knew this for a fact because my feet were no longer feeling blades of grass between my toes but plush carpet. Then we walked through at least another door, I knew this because I stubbed my toe on the doorframe. It was a few more minutes before we stopped walking altogether.

"Keep them shut." Bel told me. He let go of my hand and an odd noise pursued. Belphegor returned to my side and said, "Okay now open them."

I gasped unable to find words.

"Do you like?"

"Ah… where are we?"

"In the room of galaxies."

I recalled seeing that name on a poster in the lunchroom, "But that exhibit isn't open yet, how did we get in here?'

"I borrowed a key from a security guard earlier." I immediately interpreted that borrowed as stole. "But right now it's only on the stars."

"So this is a model of all the known constellations? Incredible." My eyes swam across the ceiling, absorbing all there was to see.

"It's no model, it's the real thing." Belphegor laughed at my expression, "Several giant telescopes are focused out into space, and the ceiling is linked to them, allowing us to see what they see."

"How do you know that?"

"I scoped the place out earlier. It wasn't hard to figure out."

I looked around the room, "What about all the security cameras?"

"Spanner helped me out with those."

A teacher was in on this? I looked at Bel then smirked, "You asked for help?"

"Shishishi, of course not, he offered."

"I wonder why he would do that."

Bel shrugged, "Said something about being curious about the wiring, guess this place is well know for its security."

"_You _got through it didn't you?"

"I'm no ordinary person."

"Can't argue with that." I frowned, "But why did you go through all of the trouble to bring me here?"

He smiled coyly, "Come, I'll show you."

Bel grabbed my arm and dragged me up a platform where a neatly spread out comforter was waiting.

"Uh…" Oh. I was suddenly very conscious of the fact that I was in my makeshift pajamas. They were not something I typically wore to bed, but when in the eyes of other people… well it's best to keep some things a secret. I looked down at my black flannel shorts, and tugged at the bottom of my white button up dress shirt. I was now regretting not going with my cotton T-shirt. I must be the only freak in the world to wear a nice shirt to bed.

Belphegor without warning flopped down onto the blanket, pulling me down with him. I think I might have yelped but any embarrassment from that was the least of my worries. Some how we both ended up on our backs. I could feel him wrap his arm around my shoulders, and then he whispered so that I almost had to strain my ears to hear it, "I told you I wanted to show you the stars."

Oh! My! God! I'm not ready for this! We haven't even kissed. I'm too young to die. Wait. AH shit!

"That one is Ursa Major," I had been squeezing my eyes shut, and as I opened them I saw he was pointing up at the ceiling. "If you look closely you can see the Big Dipper."

I could see it!

So these were the stars he wanted to show me after all…

"That one is Ophiuchus. It's near the celestial equator." He traced it out for me to see. He then moved on to one that looked like it had a head and a long body, "That's Draco. It's harder to see because it's farther away."

"What's that one?" I asked pointing off in a random direction, because it was hard for me to see the constellations until Bel showed me them.

He examined it before saying, "That's Cetus, it's also in the celestial equator, and it contains the star Mira."

"Mira?"

"Yeah, it's supposed to be the brightest star in Cetus, but it's only visible a few weeks a year. Mira is a red giant, which is just a really a big red star. Red stars are red in color, have a low surface temperature, and a diameter much greater than the sun." Bel explained.

"What is the celestial equator?"

"It's the great circle in which the plane of the Earth's Equator intersects the celestial sphere. And before you ask the celestial sphere is basically the heavens, but scientifically it's the imaginary sphere around the Earth on which the Sun, Moon, Stars, and planets appear to be placed."

"How do you know all this?" I was feeling very impressed, though the thought did cross my mind that he could be lying, but I figured it sounded too good to be made up on the spot.

"I've read an astrology book before."

"You can read?" I gasped.

"Shut up frog, I was being serious."

"You can be serious?"

I think I went a little too far with my joking because the next thing I knew Belphegor was on top of me pinning my arms down so I couldn't push him off. He smiled down at me in a most seductive manner. Through his bangs I could see his eyes which were shinning almost as bright as the North Star. He began to lean down, and I tried to mentally prepare myself for what was about to happen.

_BOOM_

A loud explosive sound pierced my ears and my eyes grew wide at the sight unfolding before me. Something must have happened to the telescope connection because the ceiling gave away to a clear nighttime sky with only a few lingering clouds, and in that sky a large object tore across it with hundreds of shooting stars emitting from it.

"Bel-senpai look behind you, the most amazing thing is happening!"

"Why should I when I have something even more amazing in front of me?" In that instant he closed the space between our lips, just as the sky appeared to plummet towards Earth.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note- **Sorry for the long wait as always! Bleh, I can never feel good about a chapter until I read what you guys think. As of right now I think it sucked… and not in the good way either. Also some things happened in this chapter that I wasn't planning… it's remarkable how stories can sometimes write themselves (I just wish mine would write itself better). I still hope you managed to enjoy it somewhat, and that it wasn't a complete waste of your time. I also promised this one would be better than the last one… I shouldn't make promises I'm not 100% sure I can keep, but I'll keep trying my best and I **can **promise you that!

Love you like always. -Addicted to Dreams


	9. The Unknown is Upon Us

The Unknown is Upon Us 

It was a sensation I had only dreamed about, not ever daring to think of it while awake because deep down I was a coward. None of those dreams gave what the kiss would be like any justice. I could feel the heat radiating off Belphegor's lips, making my own feel warm. The force at which he kissed me spelled out his longing, and made my head spin. It was my first kiss, a sacred kiss, but I had to end it or else it could be my last.

I pushed the blond teen off me, using strength I wasn't aware I possessed. His expression when he fell back was one of mild shock and annoyance. I didn't give him a chance to speak, but instead tilted his head up to get a glimpse at what had me so startled. The night sky was chaos, in it meteors fell in showers; the stars were divided by trails of debris.

Belphegor's mouth settled into a thin line as he observed what was happening. I felt panicked, while instead he seemed to remain calm. I finally couldn't stand it anymore and grabbed his arm with both my hands, clinging onto him for dear life, "Belphegor."

He snapped his head back down and must have noticed how freaked out I was because he placed his free hand on top of my head, "Relax frog, it's just a meteor shower, nothing to worry about."

"But you didn't see the big one," I argued, "It didn't look like any rock I've ever seen, and it was shaped abnormally too. We have to tell someone."

I attempted to stand up, but my knees were shaking, that was when I took a moment to reflect on the situation. I was scared… and I didn't really know why. I was not under immediate threat, but my body seemed to think so. I was reacting, not thinking, and there was no real explanation for it.

"Sit down frog," Bel pulled me back down into his lap, making me feel not only scared but awkward as well. "You can't just run around telling everyone what you saw, after all, I wasn't finished with you."

"Belphegor." I tried twisting around to get a better look at him, he seemed to be serious, which only made my job harder, "Please Bel-senpai, this is important."

He was quiet for the longest time, seeming to consider my words. Finally he asked, "Fran, why are you so anxious?"

"I-"

"Is it because of the meteor shower, or my kissing you?"

"You wish it was your kiss. The object falling from the sky, defiantly."

When he did not move or say anything, I admitted rather shyly for myself, "Your kiss was… bravura, really, but the sky-"

At that moment, he gave my lips a quick peck, making my insides turn to goo once again, and my heart beat out of my chest. He then stood up, hauling me with him.

"Heh heh heh," Belphegor's laugh was deep, resonating from within his chest, and since I was so close, I felt every vibration. "Because I'm a Prince I suppose it's my job to make the Princess feel safe."

I looked up at him feeling slightly comforted, "Thanks."

6-6-6

"Oh my god did you see that?"

"I can't believe it!"

"How fast was it going?"

"Someone call the police!"

"The police can't do anything you twit."

"We need to call the director."

"Find out where it landed!"

The minute we stepped outside the room of galaxies, we discovered we were not the only ones to have seen the odd phenomenon just above our heads. One of the security guards while taking a smoke outside saw the whole thing happen, then he woke up the entire staff of the science center. We stood still for a moment, watching as pandemonium spread throughout the building. It seemed no one knew what to do. I started to get a sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach, which over the last few weeks I've begun to trust, and looked around trying to pinpoint the source.

It didn't take long and my face fell. Storming over to us was one very pissed off Sqaulo, trailing him was a worried Lussuria.

"Fran! Belphegor! Where the hell have you two been? You guys are in so much fucking trouble! That damn principle wakes ME up in the middle of the night claiming some natural disaster was happening. THEN Colonnello and Dino informs us that their each missing a student. Moreover, guess who was assigned to go looking for them! Huh? Aren't you going to guess? Guess I dare you!" Sqaulo ranted. Everyone who minutes ago were running around like chickens with their heads chopped off, stopped to stare at him, now more afraid of the white haired man with a sword than any falling rocks.

Neither of us said anything. In situations like this, it is best to wait for the angry party to calm down a little.

"Sqaulo, don't be so hard-" Lussuria began, trying to defuse the situation.

Sqaulo turned his wrath onto the poor drama teacher, "DON'T. YOU. DARE."

Once Lussuria back away, giving us an apologetic smile, Sqaulo stared us down again. "What do you two have to say for yourselves? AND. IT. BETTER. BE. GOOD."

I made a mental note that Sqaulo didn't like being woken up in the middle of the night. Then again who did? I wasn't terrified of Sqaulo, a whole lot… but I didn't feel like saying anything to further his anger.

I was stupefied when Belphegor stepped forward to explain. "I was trying to get into Fran's pants."

Then I was pissed.

Belphegor looked over his shoulder at me, and even though I couldn't see it, I was sure he winked at me.

"Really?" Sqaulo relaxed his muscles, taking on an amused air, "How far did you get?"

Belphegor just smirked and Sqaulo laughed.

I decided not to kill Belphegor for saying what he did, after all, it seemed to make the leadership teacher lighten up immensely, and knowing how Belphegor could be cunning, I was sure that was what he was aiming for.

"Well let's get back to the others," Sqaulo said, leading the way, "Byakuran is worried sick, and Fon is pretty livid because of it."

When we got outside the entire school was there on the grass, gazing up at the almost normal sky. They were all dressed in their clothes, making me feel rather exposed, so instead of meeting some curious glances I kept my eyes on the ground. Sqaulo maneuvered us to where our group was located. I heard Hayato talking about aliens and the paranormal. In addition, he was trying to explain how all of it must be a sign. I then heard Hana laugh at him, calling him crazy. I saw Kyoko, Uni, and Lal Mirch all huddled together trying to keep warm. Kyoko saw me, we made eye contact, and she waved. I waved back.

"Fran there you are!" I-pin rushed over to me, and I began to fall further behind Sqaulo, "Byakuran has been out of his mind with worry."

"So I've heard."

"Hopefully you don't get into too much trouble." Mukuro said sinisterly, coming from somewhere within the shadows. I remembered my dream from earlier, and had an inkling that it wasn't all made up. Something was strange about the boy. I noticed Chrome and Chikusa standing a little ways back. I looked around, wondering where Ken was, when I saw him next to Lancia arguing.

"Fran!" Sqaulo barked at me, finally realizing he had left me behind. I rushed to join him, and be rid of Mukuro.

Belphegor looked at me and laughed.

We passed by Spanner, Leviathan, Viper, and Verde who were immersed in a conversation.

Verde was trying to explain to Leviathan how meteors reacted when entering the atmosphere. Levi then burst out, "I'm telling you they're called asteroids!"

"You buffoon," said Verde. He took a deep breath of air preparing himself to explain to Levi why he was an idiot.

Viper's quite voice spoke up, "An asteroid is a rock orbiting the Sun which mostly occurs within an asteroid belt between the orbits of Mars and Jupiter, though they can stray from their orbit. Asteroids are always in space, whereas a meteor is a rock that has entered Earth's atmosphere, which begins to burn up. Therefore Verde is correct when he says meteor."

The teachers looked at Viper a little surprised. The small man blushed and mumbled, "Just because I teach biology doesn't mean I don't know anything about Earth science."

I tried not to laugh as Levi got angry, but then we walked completely past them and I ran into Hibari.

"Sorry-" I began to apologize, recalling this was not the first time I clashed with him. However he seemed to be in a hurry and kept going, ignoring my existence altogether. I got lucky this time.

"Hey Fran!" Dino came up to me, "Glad you two were found. Have you seen Hibari?"

Well that explained Hibari's actions…

"Yeah, he just ran by here, but I don't think he-" I tried to explain to the English teacher how Hibari needed space, and that he obviously did not want to talk to him right now.

"Thank you, bye!" Dino ran off.

Sorry Hibari…

"Hey Fran did you see that fireworks show to the extreme?" Ryohei asked as I walked by.

"Are you really that dumb?" Ginger inquired.

"What do you mean?" The boxer asked.

I decided to leave them, noticing how fast Sqaulo was walking. Man, where was Byakuran in this mess of people?

I saw Bianchi talking with Dr. Shamal about the importance of Chap Stick. I walked by Tsuna who was standing beside Futa and Basil. They did not seem to notice me. Haru and Lambo were laying down on the grass, when I saw Reborn walk over to them. He stifled a laugh, and then I noticed what he did; the two had fallen asleep in all the ruckus.

Gamma and Colonnello were having an arm wrestling contest, when Colonnello saw me he gave me a disapproving glance, which for the first time made me feel guilty for sneaking out. Skull was leaning against the hotel building, all by himself. If I were not in trouble, I would have gone over to join him. I saw Rasiel talking with a group of kids from our school. I did not know their names, but I recognized them from the hallways. Longchamp had each arm around a different girl, both who looked like they needed their beauty sleep. A lot of beauty sleep… I did not see Genkishi anywhere, but I was sure he was there, somewhere.

I finally spotted Byakuran; to his left was Fon, to his right Shoichi. A little further off to the side was Xanxus. None of them looked happy.

"I found the trouble makers." Sqaulo announced, unnecessarily grabbing Bel and me by the collars of our shirts and dragging us to stand in front of Byakuran.

"Frannie, Belphegor!" Byakuran ran forward and hugged us. When he finally let go his relieved smile melted away. "You two are in so much trouble."

"That's an understatement," Fon said, rolling up beside the principle.

"Something could have happened to you and no one knew where you were! I cannot believe you two snuck out of your rooms in the middle of the night! How irresponsible can you be?" Byakuran began to look very angry.

"We're sorry," I began, feeling helpless, and sad for letting the man down.

"Speak for yourself." Belphegor said, folding his arms across his chest. "I happened to enjoy every minute of it."

I felt another pang of guilt, but this time it was because I too had enjoyed spending time with Bel, if the sky hadn't gotten messed up then I would probably still be enjoying it.

"Just remember that when you're expelled for a couple of days as soon as we get back to school."

"What?" I gasped out. Expelled! When dad finds out he'll… he'll…

"I really don't want to have to do it," Byakuran said, seeming genially saddened by the idea, "But the school board won't let it slide, and unfortunately we can't pretend it didn't happen because word already got out about your disappearance."

"Wait," Belphegor said slowly, "This wasn't Fran's fault. I was the one that dragged him out of bed and forced him to come with me, he shouldn't be punished for that."

"Bel-senpai…" I began.

"Is this true Frannie? If this is so then you won't be expelled."

I wanted to say that is was true, because I did not want to tell my dad I was expelled, but I knew it was not true. I went willingly with Bel for better or worse. "Sorry sir, it's a lie."

"Of course it is, but no one else needs to know about it." Belphegor said nonchalantly.

"But-"

"Do you want to be expelled?" Belphegor questioned me.

"No," I said honestly, "But I don't want to get out of it if it means you take all the blame."

"Aww is the little froggy worried about me?" Belphegor laughed, "I don't care either way, I just thought you might."

So _he _was actually worried about _me_.

"In return for my kindness you'll have to invite me over to your house at least once during my exile."

Before tonight, I would have protested. I would have thought it was Belphegor being a jerk or a pervert, which he still was. I would have figured it was his way of tormenting me, to make me suffer. However, tonight happened and changed my opinion on many things he did. And maybe I didn't mind Bel coming over to my house as much as I thought I would, because secretly it made me happy… then I remembered my dad.

"Aw hell no."

"Are you sure about that?" Belphegor smiled, "Last time I'm offering."

I quickly weighed the pros and cons in my head. Dad would never hear me tell him I was expelled, and I would not miss any schoolwork but dad and Belphegor would talk to each other. I would not have it on my permanent record but dad might tell Belphegor embarrassing things about me. Then I remembered that the Wednesday after we get back dad was going to be out of town for a day, I could have Belphegor over then!

"Fine." I sighed, still not liking the idea of Bel taking all the blame.

"So…" Byakuran said. He had been patiently waiting for me to make a decision. "Belphegor acted on his own?"

"Yes." I nodded my head.

"Now that that is out of the way…" Byakuran said cheerfully.

"You can't just brush the severity of the situation away like that!" Fon protested.

"Yes I can!" The white haired man clapped his hands together, "You need to learn to relax more Fon. Just go with the flow."

"I don't know how to "go with the flow" when I'm around you."

"Then let me help you!" Byakuran got behind Fon's wheelchair and pushed. Incidentally, we were on a high incline, and Fon began rolling down it.

"Wow look at him go!" Byakuran sounded gleeful.

Shoichi looked a little worried, "Um, should you have done that? He is hurt you know…"

"He'll be fine, that man can take a beating, I should know." Byakuran smiled wickedly and skipped off after the speeding wheelchair.

"That man scares me." I confessed.

"He scares us all." Sqaulo said, shaking as if he got goose bumps.

6-6-6

No one could go back to sleep after the incident, well all besides Lambo and Haru, so we joined the rest of the school in their campground waiting for the scientists to tell us what was going on.

Byakuran had recovered Fon and now the two sat around one of the fires eating marshmallows. Byakuran was inhaling them faster than they could be roasted, so eventually he resorted to eating them straight from the bag, as if the man needed any more sugar.

"Hey Belphegor," I called out. When we all went to the campsite, I had been separated from him, and had finally managed to relocate him.

"Yes un-cute kohai?"

"You don't really think that," I deadpanned, smiling on the inside.

He looked down at me, grinning like a fool, his crown shining underneath the moonlight, "What makes you think that?"

"Well you kissed me…" I looked away, not able to make eye contact, "And before you called me kohai without the un-cute part, so it only makes sense."

"Maybe so." He said, not agreeing or disagreeing.

"Hey Fran," Uni came up to me, rolling her necklace back and forth between her fingers. "I'm really sorry to interrupt, but have you seen my uncle?"

"As a matter of fact I have. He had carried Haru to one of the open tents we were allowed to use, and I think he was making his way back to grab Lambo." I pointed in the general direction. She thanked me with a huge smile and was on her way just like that.

"I wish everyone else would disappear." Belphegor commented.

"Don't say that!" That anxious feeling from when the meteors fell to Earth returned, and I looked up to make sure nothing else was happening.

"Why not?"

"It just might come true."

He pretended to look around, "I don't see any genies around to grant my wish, do you?"

…

Sometimes he really annoyed me.

I mean _really _annoyed me.

I sighed, giving up.

A twig behind me snapped, and I twisted around to see who it was this time. Rasiel was standing there, looking the same amount of warped as usual. "I heard that my dear twin brother finally tried getting it on with you, that must have been an unpleasant experience."

"Shut up." I said, my eyebrows slanting.

"Oh did you-"

"Did you not hear me the first time, Rasiel?" I said, stepping forward, "You're wasting your breath on me because I don't care what you have to say."

"You seem awfully brave today, but it wasn't that long ago that I had you pinned to a tree, you whimpering-"

I slapped my hand across his mouth, shutting him up, "I'm not afraid of you anymore."

He pulled my hand off and held my wrist, "Are you sure about that? Or is it because my brother is standing right behind you that you feel so confident?"

I used my nails to dig into the skin of his hand that was holding mine, in a flash he let go, though not before I drew some blood. Note to self, file those suckers down. "I'm sure Rasiel. I have bigger problems than you to deal with nowadays. As far as I'm concerned you're now just a minor villain in the story of my life, not even worth a second glance."

"Why you-" He began threatening, preparing to reach for his knives.

"Oh and word to the wise," I said turning my back on him, "You better get lost before Belphegor stops being indifferent."

I was facing Bel now and saw his smile of approval. I guess he wanted to see what I would do, and that's why he hadn't stepped in.

Rasiel looked flabbergasted, and then pissed beyond words. He stormed off, muttering under his breath about how I would regret this later.

6-6-6

It was another hour before someone who looked like they were in charge came out to tell us what was going on, besides the fact that we had a meteor shower. The man had black hair slicked back, glasses without rims, and a clipboard making him seem legit. We all gathered around him. When he first started to speak I couldn't hear him, then Byakuran handed him the megaphone and everyone could hear.

"I know it's been a very exciting night for all of you," He said, ignoring the complaints some threw at him. "About two and a half hours ago a meteor shower occurred. It would have been a spectacular sight, and rather ordinary considering the circumstances, except for the UFO."

"You mean it's aliens!" Hayato shouted, animated about the idea. Poor Yamamoto beside him was trying to calm him down.

"I mean UFO as in Unidentified Falling Object. We are not quite sure what it is, but search teams have been sent out to find it. We think it may be a satellite that got hit by the meteors on their entrance to Earth."

"Didn't look like any satellite I've ever seen," I muttered under my breath.

"I invite you all into our lobby where we've placed TVs to watch the news."

We all crowded into the room where multiple TVs were set up. All my friends and I gathered around one television. An American woman was standing there holding a microphone, her location flashed across the screen, I knew enough English to know it said Los Angeles. Her blond hair was clinging to her head with sweat, and she seemed a little crazed.

"Chunks of meteorite have landed all across the city; so far all have been reported to be under the size of a baseball. Glass is everywhere-"

The channel changed to where a man was standing in front of the Eiffel Tower, which Paris was famous for. The man was speaking French down below it translated it into Japanese. "People were fleeing to find shelters when they realized that the meteor didn't fully break up in the atmosphere."

The channeled changed once more to a Chinese man saying, "… scattered all over the globe."

At that point, I stumbled away from the TV, feeling sick. Bel looked at me, arms at the ready incase I lost my balance. I wasn't the only one affected, I heard Kyoko say through my dizziness, "Please turn it off!"

Tsuna hit the power button, but we could still hear all the different news reports from other televisions.

"Death toll is up to 15."

"A woman was trapped in her car when a large piece of the meteorite landed on it crushing the top."

"23 dead."

"River levels are rising because of the increased volume thanks to the amount of space rocks landing in it. This may just cause the dam to break."

"And there were 31 bodies found."

"Somebody make it stop…" Haru was crying, and so were a lot of other people, including Lambo. I had heard he cried a lot, but when things like this happened, it was not so unusual for anyone to burst into tears.

"We should hear this, it's important to know what's going on." Ginger argued, though he didn't sound very sure of himself.

"57 reported dead, 12 missing."

Spanner looked over at Reborn and said, "Maybe we should get them out of here."

"No matter where we go this will follow," Reborn replied.

"Why are so many people dieing?" Futa asked eyes wide, "The rocks were rather small, right? Why is this happening?"

"Wrong place wrong time?" Skull suggested just as one of the reporters said the meteor shower has claimed over 70 lives.

"I wonder if our families are safe…" Shoichi mumbled to himself, but almost everyone heard him, and a new panic swept over us.

Viper pulled out Fantasma and gave the black frog a hug, something I think we all needed at that moment, a hug.

I wasn't too worried about my dad, I was sure he was fine, but all this happening was a lot to take in.

"Is the world coming to an end?" Longchamp asked no one in particular.

"Don't say such things," Byakuran scolded lightly, "In times like this it's better to keep a positive mind or else people might start-"

"A massive suicide transpired at the Mckmanery High School just minutes ago, teachers and children a like choosing to blow themselves up…"

"… doing stupid things like that." Byakuran seemed to loose any spirit he was trying to muster.

"Oh god," Kyoko gasped, her tears were now a constant flow.

All our teachers were trying to comfort the students in vain. Only a few people seemed unfazed, Levi and Rasiel. Belphegor was at least not smiling!

Rasiel was laughing, probably at seeing everyone else's misery. And Levi seemed just as smug.

"I think it would be best to go home, don't you?" Fon discussed with Byakuran. "I'm sure all the parents want their children back."

"Yeah, that sounds like a good idea, as soon as it's light…" Byakuran went around telling all the teachers. After all, he was the principle of our school, and he was in charge. The thought scares us too.

"This is so scary," Lussuria said, coming up to stand beside me.

"Yeah," I responded numbly. "I saw it."

Lussuria glanced at me, "You did?"

"I was looking up at the sky when it happened… what should have been one of the happiest moments of my life…" I burst out into a fit of hysterical laughter. People gave me a wide berth, thinking my sanity had snapped, and I wouldn't have argued with them.

I felt strong arms wrap around me and knew at once it was Belphegor, amazingly enough trying to comfort me, or so I thought…

My laughter died in my throat, and I pulled away from the embrace looking on as the white cloth on my shoulder turned red. "Why did you stab me, besides the fact that you're insane?"

"I thought it might make you feel better," He pulled the blade back and licked my blood off it. "I know it made me feel better."

I tried to ignore how sexy he looked when he said that and asked, "What part of stabbing me did you think would make me feel better?"

"Well this way you have a good reason to cry,"

I gawked at him, "Huh?"

"Well it seems to me you're keeping it all bottled in, and I wouldn't want my froggy to explode because he didn't let some of the water out."

Huh?

"Look stupid kohai, I'm telling you it's okay to cry when you want to cry. Are you getting my point? Because if not I can give it to you again." He wiggled the knife in his hand.

"Bu-but I don't want to cr-cry…" I muttered just as water started to leak through my eyes.

Belphegor put away his knife, and this time hugged me with no alternative motives, "There, there, feeling better now frog?"

"No!" I protested into his shirt where my face was buried. He chuckled, making my heart miss a beat, because at that moment I realized I could hear his heart beating, and it was beating about as fast as mine was.

"Yes you are," He said with a knowing ring to his voice, "Because you're hugging me back."

Oh, shit! I hadn't realized it, but I was.

"Hey froggy, your feet are black." Bel commented after awhile.

"That's because I walked around the campsite without my shoes on,"

"Why didn't you go get them?"

"I don't know… I guess I didn't want to be alone at the time."

Bel whispered in my ear, making what he said sound flirtatious, "You know, _I _would have gone with you."

"Wow, it's like they're in their own little world, like they've completely forgotten all the turmoil around them." Hayato commented, staring in aw.

"They've been hugging for a good ten minutes now…" Hana commented, a little disgusted and a little intrigued.

"Well if the world was about to end that's the way I would want to go!" Longchamp said with a smile, "Holding onto the one I love."

That's when I noticed we had a rather large audience of all my friends and classmates. I pulled back from Belphegor stumbling over the words in my head preventing me from getting any of them out.

"Hey Fran?" Kyoko asked, her tears replaced with a smile, "Are you and Belphegor going out?"

"About time. It was so obvious, but it was like you were oblivious to it." Hayato mumbled. I stared at him, unbelieving. As if he could talk!

"Good for you two," Tsuna gave me an encouraging smile and a thumbs up.

"Congratulations!" Lussuria said, flinging confetti at us, which he obtained from his pockets. I didn't question why he had it, or why he kept it where he did…

"Fran is gay!" Someone I didn't know shouted.

Then I heard all my friends say, "So?"

"What a fascinating development," Byakuran said while sitting on Fon and munching on popcorn.

"This is better than my soap operas." A female teacher I didn't know comment.

Everyone was staring…

Everyone now knew my sexuality…

Everyone…

Everyone.

Everyone!

"So who asked who out?" Yamamoto asked us. Everyone seemed relaxed around Belphegor now, more curious than afraid.

"Kekeke, now that you mention it…" Belphegor turned to me, grabbed my hand, and got down on one knee.

All the girls squealed.

I gave Bel a WTF look.

He opened his mouth, and I would have bet my soul on it that he was going to call me frog, or some variation of the word.

"Fran, every Prince needs a Princess, will you be mine?"

I would have lost my soul if I had made that bet, so it was a good thing that I didn't bet my soul, and instead decided to give it to the devil.

"Yeah I'll be your Princess, as long as you don't make me wear a dress."

Everyone had been holding his or her breath, and all at once let out a collective sigh of, "Awww."

With that, Belphegor stood up, removed his crown, and placed it atop my head. Then under his breath, so only I could hear he said, "We'll discuss the dress thing later."

Suddenly the TV could be heard again, and the news reported, "The destruction of the night is finally over. Red Cross is getting aid to those who need it. Neighbors are helping neighbors. Countries are helping other countries. Nothing like a world disaster to bring people together."

Yeah, no kidding.

6-6-6

The morning came all too quickly. After the little performance we put on, everyone grabbed their stuff and brought it into the lobby. After that, we settled in for the night. Looking back on it, no one wanted to be by themselves, that's probably why we did it. I changed into real clothes at some point, not sure when, but at one point I realized I was wearing normal clothes. The science center staff was sad to see us go, all except the tour guide Byakuran had coerced, but they understood our urgency to leave.

We were all packed up, ready to go home, when it occurred to Fon something very important, "I just remembered we're down a bus."

"Oh yeah…" Byakuran frowned, "Oops."

"What do you mean by "oops"? We have to do something; we can't leave a group of kids here." Fon would have been pacing if he were not still stuck in a wheelchair.

"I have an idea!" Byakuran declared, grabbed his megaphone and said, "Okay everyone who was assigned to bus 9 please grab a traveling buddy. Make sure it's someone you're okay with sitting close to."

Of course, our group was assigned to bus 9; it always works out like that.

"How is this going to help?" Fon asked.

"You'll see~" Byakuran sang.

"I always do."

I walked right up to Belphegor, my backpack on my back, and grabbed his hand. He didn't question it, and just squeezed my hand tighter, so even if I wanted to let go, I couldn't.

"Fon, you're sitting next to me." Byakuran informed our vice principle, leaving him no room to argue, as if he would.

"Hey Spanner…?" Tsuna asked the electronics teacher nervously.

"Yes Tsuna?" Spanner watched as Tsuna struggled for words. He waited patiently.

Tsuna blushed, and then quickly looked down to hide it, "Could you sit with me on the bus?"

"You mean you want me to be your bus buddy?" Spanner asked, watching Tsuna's adorable reaction.

"Y-yeah." Tsuna stuttered.

"I would love to."

Yamamoto walked by me, looking around. Using the hand that wasn't attached to Bel, I pointed over at Hayato, "He's over there."

Yamamoto looked over to where I was pointing. He smiled at me, "Thanks Fran."

Yamamoto, adorning his favorite baseball cap, tapped Hayato on the shoulder. Hayato turned around and beamed, "Hey I've been looking all over for you! Let's sit together on the bus."

"Okay," Yamamoto said, delighted that Hayato also wanted to sit together.

Haru and Kyoko were talking rapidly to each other.

"We can play cards as well!" Haru said.

"Yeah and play word games." Kyoko added to the list of things they were going to do on the trip.

"Reborn?" Lambo asked our English teacher hesitantly.

"Ciao-su." Reborn greeted him, his fedora tipped unusually higher than normal.

"Is it okay if I sit by you on the bus?" Lambo twiddled his thumbs nervously.

Reborn stared at him for the longest time, debating whether or not he wanted to sit by this particular student. Lambo seemed hopeful, and he didn't hate the kid when he was being quiet… "Fine."

Sqaulo and Xanxus already new they would be sitting by each other.

"We're sitting in the back this time." Xanxus informed his companion.

"But the front is so much more fun…"

"Sqaulo," Xanxus looked at Sqaulo, recalling the bus crash very clearly. Though the actual crash hadn't been Sqaulo's fault, his back seat driving hadn't helped any. "We're sitting in the back."

"Do thou wish to sit with thee?" Basil asked Futa, who was caring around a new book. I recognized it as one from the gift shop.

"Of course I do." Futa chirped.

"Gamma sit with me!" Uni grabbed Gamma's muscular hand and dragged him behind her.

"Okay, okay." Gamma laughed.

Lal Mirch and Colonnello were helping kids pack their stuff on the side of the bus, I knew without a doubt in my mind that they would be sitting beside each other.

"Yo Verde," Skull came up and slung an arm around Verde's shoulder, "Let's sit together."

"Sure, why not?" Verde agreed, after all he had already planned to anyways.

Lussuria and Ryohei were already sitting on the bus; their window was all the way down, and from what I could hear it sounded like they were talking about boxing.

"And I swung left, and then right, but I couldn't hit him."

"So then what did you do?" Lussuria asked, on the edge of his seat.

"I quite playing Wack a Mole and instead played space invaders, which was to the EXTREME!"

Or not…

"I heard you used to be in the army, is that true?" Ginger was standing by Genkishi, so I assumed they were bus buddies.

"Yeah."

"Why did you become a school teacher?"

Genkishi didn't look like he wanted to talk about it, but finally said, "I met Byakuran and the encounter changed my life."

"Was Byakuran also in the army?" Ginger asked trying to picture the principle in camouflage, but the image didn't suit him.

"No, he wasn't."

I-pin and Hana picked each other, which was no surprise.

Chrome, Mukuro, Ken, and Chikusa all stuck together, opting not to split up.

"Doctor," Bianchi said, waving the man over to her.

"Hm?"

"I have no one to sit with…" She began, knowing full well the man would offer.

"I'll sit next to you!"

"Really? Thank you!"

Lancia walked straight up to Viper, all manly like, and then faltered when Viper laid eyes on him. Viper politely asked, "Can I help you?"

"I would like to sit by you on the bus."

"Really now?"

"Yes."

Viper gave a soft chuckle, "You don't beat around the bush, do you? I think it's a fine idea to sit together."

"Great!" Lancia smiled from ear to ear.

Longchamp was going to sit by a different ugly girl this time.

Rasiel and Levi sat next to each other, which I no longer cared about.

Byakuran made sure everyone had a buddy then announced the shocking news, "Now because we don't have many available seats, and twice as many people riding, the smaller one of each pair will have to ride on their buddy's lap."

"This is a joke right?" Someone, who obviously didn't know Byakuran too well, asked.

They happened to be standing beside me, and I told them, "No, this isn't a joke, it's my life."

They gave me an odd look and ended the conversation.

The entire area came to life with protests, arguments, and laughter.

"Now normally I would say I'm on top," Belphegor began, "But I'll make an exception today."

"You're too kind." I told him sarcastically, thinking that even without his crown he still held himself like a Prince. I'm not sure when he wanted the thing back, for it still sat on my head.

"You're going to have to sit on my lap," Byakuran informed Fon, "And don't you dare argue with me, you know you shouldn't be putting pressure on your legs until they're completely healed."

"I know, I know," Fon dropped his head. "Doesn't mean I have to like it."

"U-uh I g-guess that me-means I'm on top t-then." Tsuna stuttered.

"Yeah." Spanner agreed, his face not revealing his inner feelings.

Yamamoto and Hayato were one of the pairs that were disagreeing. Finally, they both walked up to me.

"Fran," Hayato said, voice upset, "Who do you think should sit on who?"

"Why are you dragging me into this?"

Yamamoto smiled at me, "We needed a third opinion."

"I should be on the bottom, right?" Hayato asked me.

"I hate to tell you this Hayato, but it makes more sense for you to be on the top, because Yamamoto is taller."

"What?" Hayato shouted.

"Come on, I promise it wont be so bad."

"Fine, whatever." Hayato huffed, "Just be sure to take everything out of your pockets first."

Haru was going to be sitting on Kyoko's lap. Lambo on Reborn's, though the poor boy looked like a bundle of nerves. Sqaulo sat on Xanxus, though from the way they acted I would have thought they had done this before. Futa sat on Basil, Uni on Gamma, and Lal Mirch on Colonnello. Skull sat on Verde, after much arguing, Ryohei on Lussuria, Ginger on Genkishi, and I-pin on Hana. Bianchi sat on Dr. Shamal, Viper on Lancia, and Longchamp on the girl. Much to my amusement Rasiel had to sit on Levi, it was a funny sight. Chrome sat on top of Chikusa, and much to his outward disgust Mukuro sat on Ken. I kind of thought he liked it, but the guy was hard to read.

We all piled onto the bus. Belphegor and I discovered that we would be sharing a seat with Viper and Lancia. Just great…

"I think we're missing some people." Byakuran said, after doing a head count.

That's when outside we heard a string of curses, followed by the sound of a struggle.

"But Hibari, there's no one left to sit by!" Dino said, attempting to drag the struggling boy to the bus.

"Let go of me herbivore!"

"Now I'll have none of that." Dino said, still being persistent.

Dino actually managed to drag the boy onto the bus, even though Hibari had put up a fight. When they were finally on the bus driver shut the doors.

"We're here, we made it." Dino announced.

"Good now sit down," The bus driver lady called as she started the bus.

"Hibari you can either sit with me, or that one girl in the back." Dino laid down the options as he sat down in the last unoccupied seat.

Hibari looked back at the girl. She was pretty, with brown hair, blue eyes, and a nice slim body. He looked at Dino, "Why don't you sit with her instead?"

"Because I'd rather you be on my lap,"

"Wao," Hibari mumbled, seemingly impressed by Dino's boldness. The bus jerked forward sending the leader of the Disciplinary Committee flying. Dino was quick to reach out, though his helping hand only unsteadied the teen further, and Hibari landed face first in Dino's lap.

"That's not what I meant when I said I wanted you to be on my lap, but hey, I'm fine with this." Dino said right before getting a tonfa in the face.

Hibari seemed to have recovered himself, but before it happened again, he begrudgingly sat down on Dino. Dino debated whether or not to wrap his arms around the boy, but decided he wanted to gain the other's trust, so he left him alone otherwise. Unless of course the bus gave a sharp turn, then he would help steady Hibari so that he wouldn't fall off. After the first time Hibari stopped complaining about it. Can someone say progress?

6-6-6

"Belphegor, remove your hand or else I'll remove it for you."

"Kekeke, you're starting to sound like me."

I shifted in my seat, which was Bel's lap, trying to get more comfortable. Viper and Lancia had the window seat.

I looked across the aisle to see that Lambo had fallen asleep in Reborn's arms. I had to admit our teacher looked rather content.

"I enjoyed that."

"Enjoyed what?" Belphegor asked, leaning his chin on my shoulder.

"Falling asleep in your arms."

"Heh, I guess we'll have to make it a habit."

I didn't argue, because I liked the idea.

"You know, I haven't known you for very long," I said as I recalled the first time I met him. "Yet so much has happened… a life time worth of adventures it seems."

"Time flies when you're having fun."

"Or being attacked, chased, and almost killed." I added, "Surprisingly most of those weren't you."

He laughed, "I'll have to fix that."

"I think I must be a masochist for dating you." I concluded.

"You never had a chance, frog. Once the Prince sets his eyes on something he always gets what he wants."

"Should I be flattered?" I asked, then corrected him, "And don't call me frog. I hate frogs."

I suddenly looked over at Viper, who was looking at me in turn.

"…" Viper had his pet frog out on his lap.

"…" I looked at the frog.

"…"

"…"

Finally, Viper said, "Then you'll enjoy our frog dissection unit."

"Yeah…" I turned back to facing forward. Nice guy, but a little strange.

I noticed how well Yamamoto and Hayato were getting along, but I got the impression by watching them that there were still in a friends only stage. Poor Yamamoto.

"Hey Belphegor,"

"Hn?"

"Now that we're together, can you get rid of your knives?"

"Sure, after I get rid of your organs."

"I take that as a no." I sighed.

"Did you think I wouldn't use them on you anymore? If anything I'll use them even more."

"You seem like the type of person who could never get in a serious relationship…"

He frowned, "It's easy for people to judge others. I may seem that way to a lot of people, but I can be caring when I want to, and I can have a normal relationship if the person I like is worth it."

"That's good to hear, because if you try toying with my heart I'll kill you."

"There you go sounding like me again." He paused then asked, "Metaphorically or literally? Because there is a huge difference you know."

I ignored his question and asked one of my own, "I read once that couples start to take on each other's traits, does this mean I'm going to become a sociopath?"

"Impossible." He assured me, "I don't want you to take on my traits because I like you the way you are, frog."

"Idiot-senpai, I told you not to call me that."

"Fran the frog caught frogeye while frolicking through fruit." Belphegor chanted.

"You just made that up."

"It's a tongue twister, try it."

I started to ignore him completely.

"Fran don't ignore me," He drew out one of his knife, "That makes me very angry."

I turned around, saw the knife, and tried out a new technique. I stuck out my bottom lip in a pout, and made my eyes watery, "Are you going to cut me? I still have the cut from last night on my arm…"

He grinned, "Fran, you can't do the puppy dog face. You're a frog, therefore you have to make a froggy face."

"I thought I was a Princess."

"A froggy Princess."

"Well what kind of a face dose a frog make?" I looked over at Viper but Fantasma was nowhere to be seen now.

"Stick out your tongue," He advised.

"I don't think I like where this is going…"

Before I could find out what a frog face looked like, or before Bel could cut me into ribbons, the bus came to a sudden halt.

"Well I'll be damned…" The bus driver said.

I looked out the window to see what was going on. All I saw was the other buses ahead of us.

Our bus driver got on the radio, "This is Patty from bus 9, what's with the hold up?"

A minute of static later and a man's voice came over the radio, "This is Rob, from bus 2, there appears to be a rather large chunk of meteorite in the middle of the road. We can't go around it. We'll have to take another route so start backing out. Also we advise everyone to stay inside their buses."

"How long with the detour be?" Patty asked.

"About another two hours."

"Well dang Rob, I guess that means you're all waiting on me." Patty began maneuvering the bus gracefully. She had just gotten us turned around safely when a few rocks tumbled onto the road from the rock face. They weren't that big, but big enough to prevent the other buses from following Patty's example.

"A small rockslide, how unusual. I wonder what caused it." Byakuran asked while looking out the window.

"It most likely occurred because of surface movement." Verde supplied, but then paused in thought. "Though the amount of rocks is quite unusual… I find it hard to believe tectonic plate movement is the cause of this."

"But you just said it was," Skull pointed out.

"Irrelevant."

"Rob, I need to get out and move some rocks before I can back out." An unfamiliar voice rang over the radio.

"I don't think that's a good idea Meril, there could be radiation outside, it's better to stay inside and wait for professional help." Rob told the woman. It seemed he was in charge of the bus drivers.

"But our radios don't reach out of this mountain range." Meril was starting to sound stressed. "I also happen to know none of the children's cell phones work out here."

Patty got on the radio, "Well I got free, maybe I can find a town and make a call using a landline."

"I suppose that's our only option." Rob said reluctantly.

Patty turned off the radio and turned to look at us. She forced a smile and asked, "Are you guys up for an adventure?"

Some of the kids in the bus cheered, please note that they were not the ones who were in the bus that crashed. If anyone bothered to ask me, I would have told them I was all adventured out, but no one did. But hey, for once the bad thing didn't happen to us, we weren't the ones stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Patty pulled out a map from the glove box and began searching for the nearest town, she suddenly called out, "Isn't there another bus driver in here?"

At that moment, for the first time, I noticed Sastu stand up. He had been hiding behind a group of kids. It was a shame; I had thought we had gotten rid of him. Now that I thought about it, I hadn't seen the man since we were all dropped off at the science center.

The two consulted with each other, talked to Byakuran, and then looked at the map one more time. Finally Patty started up the bus, explaining to us in the process what was going on, "I've located a small town, a little out of the way, but the faster we get there the faster help can come."

"I wonder what town it is, do you know Fran?" Hayato asked me from across the bus.

"No, I just moved here recently, so I don't know the area." I told him.

"What kind of help are we trying to get?" Longchamp, not the brightest crayon in the box, asked.

"A nuclear specialist or something of the like." Dr. Shamal said, stuffing a pain pill in his mouth, feeling a headache already coming on. "Though a lot of good it will do, radiation can pass through the walls of a bus."

The doctor's statement left us feeling grim.

6-6-6

Twenty minutes of driving on back roads and we were finally coming up on our destination. There were few trees in the area, having been logged long ago, and the grass was a crispy brown. All the buildings were located on two parallel lines facing each other, houses and shops alike. The paint on the buildings was chipped and peeling like sunburned skin. The main street wasn't paved, and squalls of dust kept billowing up. There were no cars on the road, but a few were parked behind buildings, rusty to the last bolt. No one was to be seen as we parked the bus in front of a dilapidated grocery store.

"Now I've heard of ghost towns but," Hayato said, getting off of Yamamoto to see out the window, "This place is ridiculous."

"Did you see the sign when we entered city limits?" Yamamoto asked.

"I did," Mukuro said while wearing a humorous expression, "Population 321."

Haru asked the question we were all thinking, "So where is everyone?"

"I'm sure they're inside to avoid the dust." Patty said as she turned the bus off, and she stood up, taking her keys with her, "I'm going to go outside and see if I can find a phone, you all stay inside the bus."

With that, the woman left.

"Should we have let her go by herself?" Byakuran pondered aloud as he wrapped his arms tighter around Fon. I thought I saw the man blush, but his black hair fell into his face, which made it hard to tell.

"I'm sure she has it under control," Gamma tried to reassure the principle.

"This place gives me the creeps." Viper, beside me, remarked as he gazed out the window.

"My thoughts exactly…" I responded.

Lancia, obviously wanting to comfort us, said, "Don't worry, Belphegor and I are here."

"I'm not called Prince the Ripper for nothing." Belphegor laughed, his usual laugh, and then pulled me back against him. Before I had been sitting as far from Belphegor as Belphegor would allow me, and considering I was on his lap it was never really far, but now I was taut against his chest.

"Bel-senpia…" I said, trying to wiggle out of his grasp, my efforts were fruitless.

An abrupt burst of screams startled me into grabbing onto Bel's pants. We all turned to see what had frightened the other half of the bus. I managed to pry myself off Bel, and went over to the window nearest Tsuna. Most of the kids had their faces pressed to the glass. I saw it out of my peripheral vision, but I couldn't make out the shape. By the time I finally turned my head the thing was gone. A roar of voices went up, but I was still clueless as to what was going on.

"What the hell was that?" Some boy, whom I did not recognize, asked.

"Was that an animal?" Futa asked, he was shorter than a lot of the kids and therefore had a hard time seeing.

"No, it was definitely humanoid." Verde, from the other side of the bus, answered the kid's question. He must have really good hearing or something.

"It looked like a monster." Some girl stated, she seemed confused, like she had fallen in the twilight zone. Yeah… I get that feeling a lot.

"It went under the bus!" Someone shrieked though it was hard to tell the person's gender.

"What do you think it's doing?" A girl from my biology class, I think her name was Susie, asked no one in particular.

Dino was quick to correct the girl, "The accurate way to ask that question is 'What do you think they're doing?'"

"I don't think now is the time for an English lesson." Genkishi muttered, folding his arms across his chest.

"We need to go check it out." Colonnello said, instantly getting up to open the door.

Lal Mirch also stood up, "I'll come with you."

My P.E teacher turned around, and instantly blocked her way, "No, you stay here."

"I'm going." She insisted.

"Actually neither of you are going anywhere." Reborn said from beneath Lambo, who appeared to have been woken by the screams, and was now a little more than startled.

"Why not?" Colonnello sounded prepared to argue.

"Because-" Chikusa retorted, "It's a basic cliché in horror movies, the group splits up, then they get picked off one by one."

"!" Chrome began to look frightened.

"The bus driver has been gone a long time now." Hana pointed out.

"Yeah, where is Patty?" Byakuran asked, scanning the area outside.

Patty had gone into the grocery store, but so far, no one had come out of the building.

"There are a lot of important things under the bus." Spanner, who I hadn't noticed beside me, said unexpectedly.

"What was that?" I looked over at him.

"Well if someone was messing around underneath the bus it might not start up again, or it could blow up." Spanner calmly pulled out his sucker to examine it.

"What?" I asked a little loudly, and everyone turned to look at us. Once Spanner was done explaining what he had said to me, we all went silent.

"Okay, now we have to go out." Colonnello looked to Byakuran, and we all followed suit.

The white-haired man seemed to be pondering the situation, then he eventually met Colonnello's gaze, "I agree with you, but we should do this smartly. Chikusa's comment from earlier got me thinking, we should divide our fighting forces. I think ten is a large enough group of people to go out and look for Patty and a telephone. The rest of the capable fighters should stay here and look after the bus."

"I'm going." Colonnello said immediately.

"So am I." Lal Mirch gave Colonnello a look when he opened his mouth to protest once more, and he backed down.

Sqaulo stood up. He didn't need to say anything because he looked prepared for battle.

"Hn." Xanxus looked unenthusiastic as he joined Sqaulo.

"Of course I'll be going." Gamma said, pointing his thumb at his chest.

"Oh me! Pick me!" Lussuria jumped up, waving his arms frantically.

"Me too! It'll be to the extreme!" Ryohei stood up, pumping his fist into the air.

Levi said he would go, mumbling something about getting a pay raise. Reborn was going to go as well, but then Byakuran said that Reborn needed to stay to balance the power out more

"I'll go." Genkishi volunteered.

"So one more." Colonnello said looking around.

Lussuria looked over at Belphegor, then grabbed his elbow, "You have to go to go with us! We're like family after all."

"Why should I care what happens to these people?"

Lussuria then proceeded to pull me by my elbow to where I was in-between the two, "You care about Fran don't you?"

"…" "You wouldn't want anything bad to happen to him, would you?" Lussuria grinned when he saw Belphegor's smile fall.

"…"

"So, what will it be?" Lussuria beamed.

"…"

"Count me in." Everyone, even people who didn't know me, gave me a strange look. To me the look seemed to be saying 'Are you crazy?'.

"But Fran!" Lussuria's jaw dropped.

"What are you doing?" Belphegor asked, his smile returned.

I shrugged, "I'm looking for trouble before it finds me."

"Heh, just don't get yourself killed because that's my privilege." Belphegor patted my head, "Hmm… you need a hat."

6-6-6

We scrambled out of the bus and the doors were hastily shut behind us. The air was humid, making it difficult to breathe. It was eerily quiet outside, like there wasn't a living soul in the entire area but us. Our first priority was the bus. By using hand signals Sqaulo got us to circle it.

"We know you're there, so come out." Colonnello called. There was no reply.

"Maybe they left…" Lussuria sounded doubtful.

Not wanting to waste time, I got on my hands and knees, and looked.

"What do you see Fran?" Lal Mirch asked me.

"Nothing. Whoever it was is not there anymore." I stood back up and brushed the dirt of my pants.

"Strange, we were all looking out the window…" Gamma was muttering to himself, "Where could they have gone?"

"You're right." Ryohei said, glancing left and right, "We would have noticed them leaving."

"So they must still be here." Genkishi concluded.

"But there wasn't anything there when I looked."

"I also looked underneath, but I saw the same nothing you did." Sqaulo scowled, and then kicked one of the tires.

I looked up at the bus's windows. People were looking back at me. They looked worried, afraid, and I felt my face mimic theirs when I saw what was behind them. . .

"Hey guys…"

"Where do you think the fucker has gone to?" Sqaulo sounded pissed.

"Guys."

"They couldn't have gone far…" Colonnello looked around, but saw nothing out of the ordinary besides an apparently abandoned town.

Lal Mirch sighed, "Let's go look for Patty."

"Hey guys!"

My voice finally got their attention and they gave me intense consideration. They noticed my glassy gaze and followed it to the inside of the bus. My voice finally cracked as I asked them, "Do you see what I see?"

"Motherfucker," Sqaulo breathed.

Xanxus glowered, "How the hell did he get in there?"

I broke my enthralled state of mind, barely cognizant of what I was doing; I stumbled towards the other side of the bus. My goal was to get inside. My fingers clawed at the door, scarcely able to pry it open. With some difficulty I squeezed through the small opening I had created. I practically fell up the stairs, but soon I was standing at the front of the bus. Each person watched me.

"Where is it?" I suddenly heard the words fall out of my mouth, though I hadn't planned on speaking.

"Where is what?" Tsuna asked me. He looked a little spooked by my sudden appearance.

"The thing." I said pointing in the location it had been. "It was right there!"

"Calm down Frannie," Byakuran had placed Fon in one of the empty seats and was now able to move about. He tried placing a hand on my shoulder but I stepped back out of his range.

"But…" I glanced at all the kids who I was freaking out, and closed my mouth. Seconds later Lussuria was behind me, about to say something.

"Don't bother," I told him vacantly.

"But!"

I shook my head, "It's already gone."

Belphegor shoved his way through the crowd of kids to the front of the bus. He walked right up to me and asked, "What's already gone?"

"Not sure…" I looked over his shoulder, and seeing everyone's faces made me rethink what I was about to say next. Instead, I lowered my voice so only he and a few others like Byakuran and Reborn could hear, "But whatever it was it didn't look human."

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note-** Gasp! I'm still alive imagine that! Yeah I know you've all been waiting for me to write more… sorry as always! ^^; I'm sure you all know how it is. A lot has been going on in my life as of late. I've lost a close friend recently, no they didn't die, they just decided they no longer wanted to be my friend. In all honesty, they stopped acting like one long before their decision, I had read the writing on the wall and knew it was coming… but it still hurts. A lot. They were my second closest friend, someone I could relate to in many ways, but our friendship all fell apart. Sorry to trouble you with my troubles, but I don't have anyone I can talk to about it. I don't want to burden my best friend who is still close friends with my ex-friend… I know keeping it all bottled up is unhealthy, (I don't want to explode because I didn't let some of the water out xD, oh god I'm quoting myself…) but I feel if I start crying I won't be able to stop. I could use a hug. ;-;

Well let's step out of the emo corner before I drag you down with me…

Guess what? Because I feel more happiness should be spread around, I will not be leaving you with a cliffhanger of gargantuan proportions! =^-^= I can feel the love coming in now! Enjoy~

6-6-6

"Not human?" Byakuran kept his voice hushed; making sure no one could over hear us, "What do you mean?"

"Let's not talk here," Reborn opened the door all the way up, everyone else from outside had gathered around the door. We stepped down and moved a few feet away from the bus before I started to explain what I saw.

"It was hard to see, because it wore a black cloak over itself, but the creature had an odd shaped head." I tried to recall the image, "The head was shaped like a light bulb. The only other thing I could see was its eyes. They were white, like a blind person's, and they faintly glowed. I don't think it was blind though, because I thought it was starring at me."

"What is Fran talking about?" Ryohei asked as soon as I was finished.

"The thing inside the bus," I said.

"Thing? You mean that man we all saw?" Lal Mirch asked, sounding confused.

"Man? No! The thing!" I started to feel exasperated.

I noticed everyone giving each other odd looks. Finally, Byakuran placed his hand on my shoulder, this time I let him, "Maybe the heat is getting to you."

"What? No." I took a deep breath, "I know what I saw."

Levi snorted, giving me a nasty look in the process, "Fran has gone crazy, he's starting to spout complete and utter nonsense."

"Idiot." Sqaulo smacked Levi across the back of his head.

"Everyone get back on the bus. Reborn, have Viper take care of the other children." Byakuran began to steer me towards the grocery store, "Let's go find Patty, okay?"

"But the kids on the bus…" I was being pushed inside the building, and instantly felt the air-conditioning system blasting at me, "They're all in danger."

"Who's in danger?" It was Patty's voice, and when I looked up it was Patty.

"There you are!" Byakuran sounded cheerful, "We were wondering what was taking you so long."

"Sorry about that, had trouble getting through to the right people. However, everything is taken care of now. We're going to head back home now, and the way things are we'll be the first ones there."

"Great!" Byakuran gave an apologetic smile as he pointed at me, "This one has to use the restroom, so as soon as he's finished up in there we'll be good to go."

Patty's smile faltered, "Do you need to go to the bathroom as well, sir?"

"Oh no, it's just that this one is notorious for running off, so I'm keeping a close eye on him. Come along Fran." Byakuran guided me to the men's restroom and through the door.

It was a one-toilet place, so I was feeling put off that he had come in with me, and I didn't have to go to the bathroom in the first place so I knew something was off, but what really gave it away was Byakuran's usage of my real name. I couldn't recall him ever using it. I waited for him to speak first.

He placed his ear to the door and listened. When he was sure he couldn't hear anything he turned to me. "Notice anything odd?"

"A ton of things. Be more specific."

"Just tell me the first things that come to mind." As he said this, he turned on the faucet. The sound of water would surely cover up our voices somewhat.

"You."

"What about me?"

"Forcing me into the bathroom with you. You making sure no one could hear us." I paused. A scenario I hadn't considered crossed my mind, "Are you planning on raping me?"

"Don't be silly, you're much too young for me." Byakuran waved the question off as if it were nothing.

"Well then there was Patty," I thought about it some more, "She seemed to be acting strange, though I don't know how."

"Good good." Byakuran nodded his head approvingly, "And what else?"

What else was there? There was that thing I could swear I saw on the bus, that no one on the bus saw, and then no one else on the outside saw the same thing as me. That was more than odd. On the other hand, how about the strange meteor shower last night, it was surely odd. That seemed out of the blue. Usually scientists could warn people before things like that happened. That's what all their expensive equipment was for. Then there was that look all the adults gave each other after I told them what I saw, that was sure odd. "It would be easier if I tried to think of normal things."

"Keep trying." He insisted.

So I did.

That rockslide earlier was weird. Verde did mention that the amount of rocks was unusual, and right before that Byakuran himself had said that the rockslide itself was unusual. It was also rather unusual that they both had used the same word, unusual. Then there was this town, it was vacant as far as I could tell. No a single living person in the entire place but us… not even in the grocery store. That was it!

"There's no one here, but that shouldn't be the case. No one in their right mind would abandon their store in the middle of the day, someone could rob them."

"You're right. Isn't that odd?"

"Where do you think they all went?" I asked him, positive that he knew the answer.

Just then, a subtle scratch was heard coming from the other side of the door. Without dilly-dallying Byakuran flung open the door, revealing…

"Belphegor." I spoke the name feeling relieved that it wasn't someone else.

"What are you doing here?" Byakuran asked as he turned off the running water.

"You took Fran to the bathroom with you?" Belphegor was smiling, "How perverted."

"Don't play dumb, you heard." Byakuran didn't question whether or not he had heard, he just knew. He looked around the empty store, and then looked at us, "Don't say anything about this."

All three of us climbed back onto the bus. I was more than a little confused on what was going on, but let it go for the time being. I took my seat once again on Bel's lap. I looked over at Viper, recalling how Byakuran asked Reborn to tell Viper to take care of the kids. What had he meant by it? I looked around me, and everyone was acting normal…, which was not normal.

"Hey Hayato?" He and Yamamoto had relocated themselves at some point in front of our seat.

"Yeah, what is it Fran?"

"What's the last thing you remember me saying?"

He tilted his head to the side to give me an odd look but said anyways, "Something about moving here recently."

I believe it was 'No, I just moved here recently, so I don't know the area.'" Yamamoto said my exact words.

"Wow, that's exactly what I said, how did you remember?" I asked him, even though I knew that wasn't the last thing I had said that they should remember.

"Because you said it only a few minutes ago." He replied.

"I was afraid of that."

"Huh?"

"Never mind."

I leaned back into Belphegor and become aware of the fact Viper was watching me. I gave him a weary smile, one that he returned.

I kept silent for the rest of the trip home. Throughout the ride I noticed one of two things; one, was that everyone was acting like nothing had ever happened, even Belphegor who I knew for a fact knew something had happened, and two was the fact that Patty kept looking at me through her mirror. I was beginning to sound paranoid even to myself, but I just could not shake the feeling that it was not a coincidence that our eyes had made contact 27 times on the way home. What were the odds?

Our parents had been informed of our early arrival home. Fon had made sure of that before we left the science center. So when the bus finally after several hours pulled up to the school most of our parents were waiting. I grabbed my backpack and climbed off making sure to act normal because I was sure the bus driver was watching me.

Looking at the school, I remembered the first time I had stepped inside its gates, and the strange feeling I got from it. That made me begin to question every other odd thing I had ever noticed since moving to this town that I had filed away for a later day. There were a lot of them.

The Stop and Shop store.

The school doors how they locked people inside.

The school's basement.

The teachers.

The pacifiers some teachers wore all the time.

The fact that teachers were allowed to attack their students.

The fact that the teachers were allowed to have weapons in the first place.

The robot Spanner owned that fired a laser through the wall that no one questioned.

The entire fieldtrip.

The item from the gift shop that I could not identify.

The object that fell from the sky that the scientists thought was a satellite.

"Frannie!" I looked up at the owner of the voice who had called my name. He was waving at me madly and I could tell he had been worried about me. I felt like I was betraying him by doing it, but I added him to the list.

My father…

Something fishy was defiantly happening, and I had a feeling I was somewhere in the middle of it.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note- **So that concludes this chapter. This ending leaves you thinking, but not at the edge of your seat, so I hope it made you as happy as it made me writing it. Sorry if there were a lot of errors, I tried really hard. I also went back and fixed up the other chapters so I'm all edited out.

Please send me your love because I could sure use it! ^-^

Always and forever~ Addicted to Dreams~


	10. Family will Drive you Insane…

Family will Drive you Insane… but at Least They'll pay for Your Padded Cell

"Can you believe it?" I asked dad, who was seated directly across the kitchen table from me. All throughout the walk home from the school dad had been unusually silent. Unlike his robust and jubilant self. After he called my name and waved me over he hadn't said much more. Then again neither did I. What was even more out of place was when I got home the table was set up nicely, and a delicious meal was already laid out. Dad can't cook, but the food tasted topnotch. I had wondered if he had bought the food from some restaurant, but I had heard by word that most places didn't open up today because of all that happened. So where did it come from?

"You know, I was watching the sky-" I began slowly, I was about to tell him of the moment I saw the meteors fall to earth.

"Are you okay," Dad interrupted me, "Fran?"

There he went using my name, I didn't like it when he did because that meant that he was being serious. "Yeah, perfectly fine… dad."

I had noticed his face was tense, but then at my words it relaxed. He looked at the food in front of himself but appeared to have no appetite. His brown hair hid his eyes and I couldn't read his expression. "Do you have to go back to school tomorrow?"

"Yeah." It was hard to believe but I think everyone wanted to act as normal as possible. That was so the kids wouldn't be more freaked out anymore than they already were.

"Make sure to try and get some sleep tonight." He said as he pushed around the food oh his plate with a fork.

I blinked at him, "What makes you say that?"

He finally looked me in the eyes, both our green irises reflecting the other person. He gave me a smile, one that only spoke of sadness, "You've been through a lot, on top of all the meteors falling, so it would be understandable if you lost a few hours of sleep because of it. Staying awake all night, staring up at the ceiling… thinking."

"Father?" I barely managed to say the word, I wasn't sure how to respond to how my father was acting.

"Excuse me, I have an early morning tomorrow. I'm in charge of taking inventory of our new supplies." Dad got up from his chair, having scarcely touched his food, and left the room without another word.

"Dad…" I whispered forlornly after him, then more suspiciously, "I never told you about my trip… how did you know a lot happened?"

-6-6-6-

I woke up this morning and was all alone. Dad had already left for work. I looked out the window and noticed how the seasons were quickly changing, and that the leaves on the trees were starting to change color. The days would start to turn a little colder, nothing I couldn't handle, and the nights would grow longer. I liked the heat of summer, and the refreshing warm wind at night, but autumn had its perks to. This morning I had gotten ready for school in record time and was able to catch the bus. I wasn't surprised to see a different bus driver, when I asked her where Sastu was, she said he took a personal day off. I saw Ginger get on the bus, but he looked pretty miserable so I didn't even bother saying hi to him. The ride was uneventful, and I just sat there watching houses blur by.

When it was my time I got off the bus. I stood there outside the gate gazing at the school like I had done before. I was feeling a sense of loss, and for some reason was upset over it. I then remembered that Belphegor wouldn't be at school today, that his out of school suspension was suppose to start immediately.

"Good morning Fran!" I heard Tsuna before I turned around and saw him. Gathered behind the small boy was Hayato, Yamamoto, and Kyoko. They were dressed in their school uniforms like they normally would be for a day at school. I looked each of them in the eye and saw apprehension, but there was something else there, something far greater that I could not identify.

"Don't worry, everything will be okay." Tsuna told me, sounding rather optimistic. So that was what I saw… hope. They all had such a strong a sense of it about them.

Two girls were walking by our small huddle of people, one of them said, "I wish the school could have been hit by a meteor because after all that we still have a test today."

"I know, and I thought I would have time to study on the field trip." The other girl complained, "And who's bright idea was it to make us come back to school on a Friday? We should of had the day off!"

They were out of earshot after that. Thankfully. Tsuna seemed to be relieved that they were gone as well.

It was strange. The people were still people, the places were the same places, but it somehow all changed when I wasn't looking.

"Fran?" Tsuna called my name to get my attention, but to me it sounded hazy and distant, as if a thick wall of glass was separating us.

Without giving my actions much thought I ran. I ran away from Tsuna and the others. I ran in the opposite direction of the school. I didn't know where I was going, but it didn't matter because I was already gone.

"Fran!" I couldn't tell who yelled after me, it could have been all of them for all I knew, for their voices meshed together.

"Fran where are you going?"

"Come back Fran, school's about to start!"

"What's wrong Fran?"

-6-6-6-

I had kept running until I couldn't run no more. Out of breath and fatigued I finally collapsed on the ground. I was off to the side of some road, anyone passing by might have thought I was a dead body someone had thrown in the ditch. "What am I doing?"

I stared up at the sky. It was such a bright blue… so beautiful. Anyone looking at it wouldn't have been able to tell the chaos that had occurred in it only couple of nights ago. It looked so peaceful, so calm, unlike my thoughts that were scrambled and confused. The clouds that swam in its vastness formed odd shapes, and I spent some time trying to figure out what they looked like. One looked like a guitar, another a misshapen flamingo, but my favorite was a rocket ship.

_Beep Beep_

I lifted my head up to see where the noise of a horn had come from. There was a white van sitting on the road. Its windows were tinted and there was no logo on the side. For a second my heart rate sped up, afraid of who might be inside it and what their purpose was, but then the person sitting in the passenger's seat unrolled their window. It was some woman with short blond hair, she shouted at me, "You better get to school or else the truant officer will getcha."

After that they drove away. She was right though, I couldn't stay here all day. I didn't want to go to school, and home was the last place I wanted to be for it was too lonely there. I looked around and realized I recognized the gas station nearby. We past this place that one time I went to Bel's house…

That was it. I would go see Bel! After all he was my boyfriend now…

My cheeks grew red at the thought, but it was alright because no one else was there to see it. I couldn't remember how far out he lived, but I had plenty of time to get there so there was no problem.

I started out walking, but soon my longing to see Bel grew and I could no longer wait. I began to alternate between running and jogging. I'm not very athletic though so it was still going to take awhile.

-6-6-6-

It was late afternoon, I think, when I finally got to the magnificent mansion. I jogged right up to the door, and seeing as there was one, rang the doorbell. Inside I could hear a creepy tune chime. How appropriate. Eventually I heard the doorknob turn, and when it swung open I saw Belphegor. He looked surprised to see me there. He was wearing loose black pajama bottoms and a red satin dress shirt reminding me of his red silk bed sheets.

He leaned against the doorframe, "Hey."

Seeing him made me feel as if I could finally breath again, as if I hadn't been breathing all this time, like I was being suffocated before.

"Hey Bel-senpai, may I use your shower?" I was dripping in sweat and it wasn't a pleasant feeling.

"Sure, but drop the senpai, we're dating after all." After he said that he silently lead me through his house. Nothing had changes since I was last there, giving me a comforting feeling. We then entered his bedroom. I noted that his sheets were now a dark navy blue color, and noticed Storm was sleeping in the middle of the bed. His private bathroom was off to the side and we walked into it.

"Here are the towels, shampoo, conditioner, and over there are the brushes. Also anything else you might need is in this drawer." Bel indicated where each item was. It was pretty well organized.

"Thanks."

"I'll find you something to change into," Bel began walking away, "I'll leave it by the door."

He shut the door behind himself. I was a little disappointed that he didn't offer to join me in the shower, but after thinking about it I realized I would have told him no anyways. I peeled off my clothes and placed them in a pile on the floor. I got into the shower and turned the water on to a warm temperature. I watched as the racing water droplets sped down the marble shower wall.

"Why am I here…?" I sighed to myself, the sound lost to all the others.

Once I was out of the shower I found the clean clothes right where Bel said they would be. I was slightly horrified at the sight of the boxers, but grasped the fact that I would be needing a pair. There was also dark green pajama shorts and a black T-shirt. Even though the T-shirt was clean it had the lingering scent of Belphegor. It was so intoxicating that after smelling it for the tenth time I knew I could easily get addicted to the aroma, if I wasn't already.

Once I was prepared to I walked out of the bathroom. I looked around and observed that Bel wasn't there. I stepped out of the bedroom and I could see Bel coming up the stairs carrying two mugs. He saw me and smiled, "Did my little froggy enjoy his shower?"

"As a matter of fact I did, thank you."

We both went back into the bedroom and he handed me a mug, "I thought you might be thirsty."

I looked at the black mugs greenish brown contents, "What is it?"

"Poison," He smirked.

I raised one of my eyebrows at him, "Would you really poison me?"

"Of course not, it would be foolish to kill my boyfriend before I ever got to play with him." Belphegor sat down on his bed with his own mug in hand.

"So what is it?"

"Spanner is not the only one who enjoys a good cup of tea."

I took a sip, "It's delicious!"

"It's Camellia Sinensis, which is Latin for Asian evergreen bush." Belphegor explained as I sat down beside him, "The bush is toothed with leathery leaves that are dried to make this tea."

"How fascinating." I said, looking at the liquid with a newly found admiration.

I could feel Bel staring at me, "So what brings you here to my house when in fact you should be at school? Not that I mind."

"I was feeling so confounded and I didn't want to be alone with my thoughts."

"That doesn't answer my question. At school would you have been alone?"

"No, well, you see…" I thought about what I wanted to say for a moment, "I would not have been alone in a physical sense, but they weren't the company I was desiring."

"I see," He smiled at me and grabbed the cup out of my hands. With ease he placed both mugs out of reach on a side table. Crawling back onto his bed, Belphegor this time laid down with his head on his pillow. He patted the place beside himself. "Now tell me all about it."

If the red flag inside my head hadn't come up by now then it never would. I scooted over to where our sides were touching, and amazingly enough I felt relaxed. "I'm not really sure what there is to tell. That entire field trip… did you notice anything out of place?"

"A lot of things," I felt Bel wiggle his arm beneath my neck, and wrap his arm around my shoulder. I felt reassured, which normally wasn't a word I associated with Bel.

"What do you think is going on?" I asked him.

He didn't say anything for a moment, obviously putting some thought into it. Finally he said, "Not a clue. But it does seem to me someone does have a clue."

"Byakuran?"

"To name one."

"I don't like it." I said, placing my head onto his chest, "I wish things would go back to normal."

"Were they ever normal?"

"I-" I stopped myself, "No, they never were… but I mean back to its normal weirdness, not this new creepy weirdness."

"Try not to worry too much, you'll only make yourself sick thinking about it." At that moment Storm walked over to us. He was as adorable as ever! He walked right onto Bel's stomach and laid down once again. Bel laughed, a genuine laugh that had no creepy attachments to it, "I guess he didn't want to be alone either."

I gave the mink a pat on the head, and he seemed to like it. His fur was so soft… No, must not get distracted!

"So you think we should ignore what's obviously happening?"

"No," He said before adding, "I just think we should watch and observe what's happening before we try and figure it out."

"Makes sense I guess…" I could feel my eyelids growing heavier. Being next to Bel always made me so warm…

"Oh, there was something I wanted to mention to you…" Bel sounded like he was up to something, "The moment you agreed to go out with me, I do hope you knew at the time that that was the equivalent of saying you're going to be with me until the day you die. Whether it's tomorrow or fifty years down the line I'm the first and last person you'll ever be with."

Normally this type of threat I would consider menacing and possessive, but right now at this very moment it sounded nice, always having someone there for you. I smiled and told him, "Good, I wouldn't have it any other way."

-6-6-6-

"OH MY GOD FRAN AND BELPHEGOR HAD SEX!"

My eyes shot open at the sound of Lussuria's sudden outburst. I saw the man at the foot of Bel's bed, he seemed to be freaking out, so he was acting normal. I saw that there was significantly less light in the room than there was before, but couldn't register why that was. I felt Bel breathing beside me, but I knew he was awake because his hand that had been resting at my side was now a fist.

"What the fuck are you doing in my room?" Bel growled, his voice still muddled by sleep.

"SQUALO!" Lussuria shouted, "BEL HAS STOLLEN FRAN'S INNOCENCE!"

At that moment I think both Bel and I truly realized what the man was saying. We both sat up as if we had been electrocuted. Sure, the situation looked a little bad, but all we were doing was sleeping on the top of his bed. It was completely innocent!

"Shut up you freak of nature!" Belphegor threw a pillow at Lussuria's head, but the man dodged it.

"How dare you do that to Fran!"

Bel grinded his teeth together, "Nothing happened, for the love of-"

"Belphegor!" Squalo and Xanxus both flew into the room. Squalo looked at us, blinked, then asked in the most awkwardly serious manner any teacher ever could, "Did you at least use protection?"

"Squalo!" Lussuria gasped.

"Well kids will be kids, you can't stop them from doing it, you just have to make sure they do it smartly."

Lussuria's jaw was hanging open, apparently shocked that Squalo had been the one to say that. Maybe he was hoping for a more pissed off reaction.

"Is this why you weren't in class today?" Xanxus's question was directed at me, and I felt myself shiver.

"I-"

"You all have the wrong idea." Bel said. I looked over at him and saw the knives in his hand. Where does he keep getting those?

"Oh?" Xanxus seemed amused, a rare sight. "So Fran didn't skip school to come over to our house to see you?"

"Well that part is true…" I confessed. "But we didn't have sexual intercourse."

"That much was obvious."

Curious I asked, "How so?"

"The room is still in one piece." Xanxus said before leaving the room.

Now that he mentioned it I bet having sex with Bel would be really wild… Don't think about it! I mentally slapped myself.

"Lussuria, you shouldn't jump to wild conclusions." Sqaulo said, preparing to leave himself when he stopped, "It's pretty late already, Fran, does your father know where you are?"

"Oh. Shit."

-6-6-6-

"I can't believe you! Do you know how worried I was! No note or anything! And you skipped school! I got a call from your school at work asking where you were! Did I know? No! I called home to see if you were there. Were you? No! I couldn't leave work so I went through most of my day worried sick about where you were! Then you come home late at night wearing clothes that are not your own, forcing other people to drive you home, and you didn't even bother to call anyone! Don't you ever do that to me again! Last time someone in this family went missing they never came back!" Dad's voice suddenly lost it's anger, and I could see tears gathering at the base of his eyes. "I thought the same thing happened to you…"

That was a low blow, bringing mom into this, but I knew he was right. I felt awful for putting him through all of that. I didn't know what to say, because I knew sorry wouldn't be enough.

"At least you're safe and nothing happened to you." He said at last, all the fight leaving him.

"Dad I-"

"Don't Fran." He said sternly, making the words get stuck in my throat. What was going on? He had been angry with me before, but we had never really had a fight… and he surely never prevented me from explaining myself.

"Dad-"

"Go to bed Fran." He turned his back on me.

"What about dinner?" I asked even though I had no appetite. None at all.

"It's well past dinner time in this house hold." He sounded cold and secluded.

I went upstairs, somehow managing to will my body to move. I felt empty inside. Numb even. I walked into my room, but before I could even shut the door I heard it. Soft sobbing sounds, as if they were muffled by a hand. Tonight I scared him, he thought like mom I would disappear from his life forever. I cringed. He loved me, cared for me, and wanted to protect me. There was nothing odd about that. All prior suspicions were erased from my mind. No matter what he was my father, and I loved him just as much as he loved me.

-6-6-6-

Saturday mornings are the best. You get to sleep in, and there's no school! However this Saturday morning I tried really hard to not get out of bed, I didn't want to face dad after last night. I didn't have the slightest idea of what I would say to him. Eventually my stomach forced me to get up when I could no longer stand the hunger pains. I walked into the kitchen and saw that my father wasn't there. I was thankful. I ate some toast and when I was finished I washed the plate. I went into the living room and suddenly heard voices from outside. I went over to the door and opened it.

The day was overcast but the light was still bright enough that at first I had to squint. Standing outside was my father, dressed in his gardening gear, and beside him was Hayato. The silver haired teen looked over at me and smiled, "Good afternoon."

"It's afternoon already?" I slept in longer than I thought I did.

"Just wake up?" Hayato asked me.

"Yeah, just about."

"I came by because I wanted to ask you if you felt like spending the night tonight at my house. I'm having a small sleepover." Hayato looked over at my father, "We are also going to study for the upcoming test in English."

I cast my eyes downward, "Sorry Hayato but I don't think I-"

"It sounds like fun. You should go pack your things Fran, maybe show Hayato your room." Dad smiled at me.

"But what about yesterday?" Hayato was aware I skipped school so I felt comfortable enough talking about it in front of him.

"Go have fun." He insisted.

I shrugged my shoulders, still confused, but gladly lead Hayato to my room. We began talking as I packed my bag.

"So who all will be there?"

"Tsuna, Yamamoto, Lambo, Mukuro, Shoichi, Ryohei, Haru, Kyoko, Uni, Chrome, and you." Hayato counted off on his hand, "I-pin is working, and Hana just didn't want to come. Hibari threatened to kill us when we asked yesterday, so he's out. Ginger also refused, and Ken and Chikusa couldn't make it. Futa is going to the dentist, and Bazil wanted to go with him for support."

"I'm surprised you asked Mukuro."

"To be honest Tsuna said I should, I personally don't trust the guy." Hayato huffed.

"Well it's an interesting cast of people you've invited." I shoved my socks into the bag, "No Belphegor?"

"Oh Fran I'm sorry! Would you like me to invite him over?"

"It's fine," I said in earnest, he would only cause trouble, "So what are we going to do while we're there?"

"Well on Friday at lunch I had a list of things we could do and we all voted on it. We're going to have a game of monopoly, clue, and risk all going at the same time so people can play the one they prefer. We're going to watch a scary movie while eating popcorn. And thanks to the girls for even suggesting it… we're going to play truth or dare."

I gave him a look, "That's not a good idea."

"I know."

"Something is going to go terribly wrong."

"I'm aware."

"You're going to regret it."

"I'm sure I will," Hayato hung his head, "But Tsuna actually thought it sounded fun… and so did Yamamoto."

"Ah I see," I was finished packing and stood up, swinging the bag over my shoulder, "Well in any case we're all doomed."

"Yup."

-6-6-6-

I stared up at Hayato's house, "What is with everyone living in a mansion?"

"I don't live in a mansion." Tsuna said happily beside me. Hayato had us all picked up in a limo at the same time. I must have missed the thing when it was parked outside of my house…

"Come on inside everyone!" Hayato brought us to a large recreation room. We all set our bags down and he shepherded us into a room with multiple large round tables. Already placed upon each was one of the board games mentioned before. "So who wants to play what?"

Playing at the Risk table was Mukuro, Shoichi, and Ryohei. I could tell already that it would be a very competitive game. I wanted to play clue so I sat down beside Chrome who was also sitting at the Clue table. Yamamoto and Tsuna joined us soon after. Lambo and Hayato went to Monopoly and Kyoko and Haru followed them. The only one who hadn't decided on a game was Uni.

"Join us." Tsuna said, smiling at her.

"Okay!" She sat down beside him.

"Does everyone know how to play?" Yamamoto asked us.

"No, sorry." Chrome blushed out of embarrassment.

"It's okay, I need a refresher on the rules too." Tsuna said, grabbing the instruction packet. He began to read it to us.

After we knew what was what we picked our colors.

"I want to be purple," Yamamoto said, picking up the piece.

"I'll be white then." Uni said.

Tsuna smiled, "Yellow for me."

"Blue." Chrome mumbled quietly.

I had the choice between green and red… everyone assumed I would pick green, so I chose red.

"Miss Scarlet?" Yamamoto teased me, but not enough to change my mind and go with green, and with that the game began.

Monopoly was surprisingly the first game to get done. Even more surprising was who won it.

"You should have seen the look on your face!" Haru was giggling, apparently her and Hayato had been the last ones in the game. The reason why it had gone so quick was because right of the bat Haru had Boardwalk and Park Place, setting up hotels there. Hayato had also had all the yellows and greens. None of the others ever had a chance.

Our game finally came to an end, when Uni guessed that it was Professor Plum in the library with the revolver.

After we put away our game we all gathered around the Risk board. Mukuro who had picked the color black only had a few of Shoichi's pieces to remove out of Africa before he completely ruled the world. All throughout the hour we could hear him laughing manically, and now we understood why.

"I think he takes this game way too seriously." Hayato commented.

"It's over for you, any last words?" Mukuro asked the redhead. "No?"

With that he rolled the die, getting three 6s, thus ending the game.

"Congratulations!" Chrome said to him. However he no longer seemed please.

"Today it's just a board game," He said while standing up to stretch his legs, "But tomorrow who knows…?"

With that last creepy statement we went on to have an early dinner. Hayato's butlers served the meal. It was a western dish of steak, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob. It tasted divine and the meat just melted in my mouth! Dinner would have almost been perfect but Bianchi joined us, and Hayato passed out into his mashed potatoes. It was rather hilarious watching as butlers tried to fish him out of it.

"Wow Bianchi, you look beautiful without your goggles on." Kyoko complimented the teacher.

After dinner, and after Hayato woke up, we played a quick game of freeze tag outside. I couldn't help but notice how Mukuro never got tagged because most people were afraid to go near him, and that whenever Ryohei was it we all ran for the hills. The boxer happened to play tag really rough, and the last time he tagged Tsuna he sent the poor boy flying into the dirt.

"I don't know about you guys but I'm ready to call it quits. How about we all take showers, change into our pajamas, and watch that movie?" Hayato suggested. We all agreed.

It was amazing but there was a shower for everyone, and the hot water never ran out! I took a quick shower and got into the clothes Bel let me borrow the other night. The ones I had came home in and that dad got upset about. I really should give them back to Bel… but the shirt still smelled like him…

We gathered in the third living room, Hayato's mansion had four, and each took a seat of a piece of furniture. I ended up pressed between Chrome and Lambo on one of the couches. We had bowls of popcorn, and drinks, and Hayato got up to put the movie in.

"So what are we watching?" Uni inquired from her spot on the love seat.

"The End of Everything." Hayato beamed at us, "It's about Aliens taking over the world."

Only Hayato…

The first twenty minutes was spent establishing the main characters, and I enjoyed that bit, but once the Aliens arrived onto the scene I found myself closing my eyes a lot. They were just plain hideous. They had multiple eyes like spiders all over their heads, and they had pinchers for hands. Chrome and Lambo were both easily frightened, and so they both held onto one of my arms. If they hadn't been latched onto me so tightly I might have left the room. The only ones who seemed to be enjoying the movie was Hayato, Ryohei, Shoichi, and Yamamoto. Mukuro kept muttering about the right way to take over the world, Kyoko thought it was too gross, and the rest of us were pretty scared out of our minds. It finally ended with the world being blown up by the humans so that the Aliens would also die. However the mother ship was still out in space and so it was all pointless in the end.

"So what did you guys think?" Hayato asked us excitedly.

"It was very…" Tsuna began.

"Scary." Chrome supplied.

Most of the popcorn had been spilled onto the floor because when the person holding the bowl got scared it usually flew up out of their hands.

"Don't worry, I'll have it cleaned up later." Hayato said as he maneuvered around the spilt food. "Let's go up to where we'll be sleeping."

We followed him upstairs. The handrail was hand carved by a master craftsmen and I couldn't help but admire it.

"Now you girls will be sleeping in another room, but for now we can all hang out in this one." Hayato opened the door and inside were a dozen beds all tilted so that they formed a circle. In the middle of the circle was a round rug. There were huge windows on the back wall with golden curtains dangling beside each.

"Do we get to play truth or dare now?" Haru asked, seeming to have gained back her glee after that movie faster than the rest of us.

"I was hoping you would have forgotten about that…" Hayato sighed, "Okay I guess we can play. Everyone sit in a circle."

To my left sat Tsuna, and to my right was Shoichi. Across from me was Hayato, who moments before sitting down had dimmed the lights some for dramatic effect.

"I guess since it's my house I'll go first." He looked around at all the faces and stopped on Tsuna who began to squirm nervously, "Tsuna, truth or dare?"

"Can I pass?" Tsuna squeaked.

"No, and if you choose dare and don't do it then something bad happens to you." Mukuro replied before Hayato had a chance to.

Tsuna seemed even more scared now, "Truth."

Hayato smiled, "Do you think of me as your right hand man?"

I could feel Tsuna let out his breath that he had been holding, "Why of course."

"Okay, so now it's your turn."

Tsuna asked Haru the question and she replied Truth.

"Who's your best friend?"

"Lame…" Mukuro complained.

"Kyoko." Haru replied, ignoring Mukuro.

The game followed this pattern for awhile until everyone agreed that it was boring. Lambo had an idea though and everyone was up for it. He had Hayato bring in a laptop, they got onto the internet and went to a website that none of us had ever heard of before.

"I've only ever heard of it so I've never actually been here before, but it's suppose to be like truth or dare. We assign a number to ourselves and it will generate different dares and truths for us. It will indicate who it's talking about with the number." Lambo explained to us.

We all agreed to it and were assigned our numbers. There were twelve of us and it went like this:

1 Hayato

2 Chrome

3 Mukuro

4 Yamamoto

5 Uni

6 Me

7 Kyoko

8 Ryohei

9 Lambo

10 Tsuna

11 Shoichi

12 Haru

"Are we ready?" Lambo asked after he told the computer that 12 people were playing. He hit the button and he read us the first thing that popped up, "How does player 4 feel about player 8?"

Yamamoto had to ask who player 8 was again, but once that was settled he said, "Ryohei is a great guy. He's passionate about his sport like how I am with baseball. He's a fun friend to have around."

"Player 2 has to tickle player 9." Lambo read out loud.

Chrome looked bewildered as she stared at Lambo, "Uh…"

"If you don't want to I have to hit the punishment button to see what happens to you." Lambo informed her.

"But I have to tickle you…" She sighed and walked over to where Lambo was sitting. She tried placing pressure on his sides, but it didn't work. She tried his stomach, but again nothing. Finally she tried near his collarbone and the teen went hysterical. It was funny watching someone who was normally stoic go berserk. Chrome seemed to be enjoying his reaction but stopped after about thirty seconds.

Lambo was still recovering so Hayato hit the button, "Player 7 has to kiss player 12 on the mouth."

"What!" Haru gasped.

"We shouldn't make them do it." Tsuna said immediately.

Ryohei seemed to be in deep thought, and didn't say anything.

"But rules are rules…" Kyoko mumbled.

"Do you want to take the punishment instead?" Hayato asked her, "But no matter what it is you'll have to do it…"

Kyoko and Haru shared a look and Kyoko said, "Yes please."

Hayato hit the punishment button and froze up.

"Well, what do I have to do?" Kyoko sounded worried.

Shoichi looked over at the monitor and covered his mouth with his hand. He seemed not to know how to react. Kyoko finally got up and looked for herself. Soon we were all gaping at the words, "Player 7 has to kiss player 12 on the mouth, with tongue."

"Are they suppose to become worse?" Yamamoto finally asked.

"I don't know…" Lambo dazedly replied.

"Okay, I guess that means we're not getting out of it." Kyoko said, rolling up her sleeves as if the task set out before her was to clean up instead of French kissing her best friend.

Haru nodded, not speaking.

Kyoko and Haru stood up facing each other. They both seemed nervous, but they didn't appear to be as embarrassed as the rest of us felt. Kyoko placed her hands on Haru's shoulders, and leaned in. She paused, still not completely sure of herself, then mashed her lips against the other pair. I looked away, feeling that it wasn't my place to watch. I did hear the smack sound though as the kiss was completed and knew it was safe to look again.

Hayato, in an attempt to dispel the silence, quickly hit the button again, "Player 5, what's the farthest you've ever gone with someone?"

Uni blushed, "Um… a peck on the cheek."

"Player 3, who here is the most likely person you would want to jump?" Hayato asked, then saw who it was and paled.

"That's a toughie. Depends on what you mean by the word jump. Do you mean jump over, or have sex with? I guess I'll assume the later." Mukuro looked around, "But it's still hard to pinpoint just one person…"

"Just one please." Hayato glared at Mukuro when his gaze landed on Tsuna.

"I'll take the punishment." Mukuro finally said.

Hayato read it out loud, "Chose one person to hit on."

"Oh goodie." Mukuro stood up and sauntered over to where Tsuna was sitting. He smiled at the brunet, walked behind him, and then suddenly placed his hands on my shoulders, "So Fran, want to get close and personal?"

My body reacted to Mukuro's mischievous voice as if ice water had been thrown on me. I lunged forward, pulling from his grasp, and twisted around so that once I landed on the palms of my hands I was facing him.

"My my you act as if I were going to bite you," His smirk only grew, "But I must inform you that that part comes later~"

"Mukuro, you shouldn't joke around with him." Chrome spoke up.

"Who says I'm joking?" Mukuro's different colored eyes reflected the light, making him seem more menacing.

"It only said to hit on, not scare to death, so I think you're done." Hayato said, already hitting the button again.

"It's over when I say it's over." Mukuro protested.

"Actually, it's over when I say so."

"Belphegor?" Everyone said at once.

Belphegor was already dressed in his pajamas, once again black pants, but this time a striped shirt went with it. He walked over to Mukuro and smiled, a smile much greater than Mukuro's.

"Just what are you doing here? I heard you weren't invited."

"Shows how much you know." Bel crossed his arms over his chest, "I don't have to be invited to a place to be able to show up."

"Actually you were invited." Hayato reminded him. I gave him a questioning look so he said, "I called him a little while ago."

Aka he figured there would be trouble, and that I would somehow be involved in it. His lack of faith was well placed…

Was it just me or was Belphegor's timing always impeccable?

The two stood at a face off, neither one of them making a move, until finally Mukuro smiled, "You can have him, after all I'd prefer not to get my toys from the trashcan."

Should I be offended or relieved?

"Two problems with what you just said. One, I already have him, and two…" Belphegor slung back his fist and slammed it into Mukuro's face. "My Fran is not trash."

"I hadn't been expecting that." Mukuro lifted his head up, slight shock written on his face. He then smiled, "I approve!"

"Hmf." Belphegor then broke out into a grin as well, "Just don't ever lay a hand on my Fran again."

"That sounded like a slogan, like the Butterfinger one." Lambo commented.

"What just happened?" Kyoko was as confused as the rest of us.

"Fran was my apprentice in a past life, or a parallel universe, or something of that sort." Mukuro said, trying to explain but only causing us to be even more lost, "So to protect my investments I wanted to test Belphegor's mettle."

"But how did you know he was even here?" Haru asked.

"I didn't."

…

…

…

Belphegor looked at me and grinned, and at that moment the confusion of the situation no longer seemed to matter. With this wild and crazy bunch of people you just got to learn to go with the flow. Didn't Byakuran say something like that…?

We all sat back down, Bel beside me of course, and resumed the game. Not sure why… but we did.

"Bel, you can be player 13." Hayato said, changing the number of people playing.

A few rounds went by and the requests were harmless enough, but then came another questionable one.

"Player 1 has to tell player 4 about the most sexual dream they ever had that they can remember. Day dreaming counts." Shoichi was now reading off the screen.

My head turned to Hayato, and his head turned to Yamamoto.

"Fine, whatever, but let's go into a different room." Hayato said getting up.

"Sure." Yamamoto was all smiles like usual.

"You guys can keep playing without us, if our numbers come up just move on to the next one." Hayato said before leaving.

Shoichi hit the button again, "Player 2 has to hug player 13."

Chrome looked horrified but she did it. As she was holding onto Bel something happened. A feeling I normally didn't experience occurred. I felt jealous… or more like wrath, directed at Chrome. Even though I knew the poor girl didn't want to hug Bel. The feeling lingered after she had let go, only because I realized that Bel might have to do something with someone else. Something like what Kyoko had to do with Haru… or worse…

"Player 10 has to slow dance with player 11." Shoichi paused, "Oh wait, that's me."

Watching Tsuna and Shoichi try and dance was hilarious. Neither knew how to, and no one could tell who was leading. It finally ended when Tsuna stepped on Shoichi's foot for the fifth time.

"I'm sorry!" Tsuna apologized for the ninth time.

"Like I said before, it's fine."

"Player 5 has to tell us who they have a crush on."

Uni looked startled to hear her number called. She fumbled over words for a minute then said, "Uh…"

"Well, who is it?" Kyoko asked her, elbowing her playfully.

"Well it's a… um… I like… it's just a crush." Uni blushed. We were all watching her, she finally squeezed her eyes shut and said, "It's Gamma."

"The woodshop teacher?" Haru gasped.

"He is rather handsome…" Chrome said, trying to make the other girl feel better.

Uni nodded her head, "And he's nice."

"Player 3 has to grope player 9."

Lambo's eyes grew wide, "No thank you!"

Mukuro walked over to Lambo, seeming not to care either way. Lambo tried to scoot away, and I felt sorry for the guy.

"I think this is going a little too far!" Tsuna spoke up and for Lambo's sake we all agreed.

"I have an idea, let's play a new game, have you ever. I'll go get soda from the refrigerator downstairs and every time we have done whatever it is we'll take a sip, first person to go to the restroom loses. So while I'm gone if you have to go make sure you do it now." Shoichi said while getting up.

About ten minutes later we were all ready.

"I'll go first." Shoichi said, "Have you ever skipped school?"

Bel and I were the only ones to drink to that.

Ryohei went next, "Have you ever punched someone before, to the extreme?"

Ryohei, Bel, Mukuro, Tsuna, and I all took a sip.

"The point of the game is to say stuff that wont make you drink." Kyoko told her brother.

"Have you ever cheated at a game before?" Haru asked.

Bel, Mukuro, and Shoichi took a sip.

Chrome gave Uni an apologetic smile, "Have you ever had a crush on a teacher?"

Uni, Tsuna, Lambo, Ryohei, Shoichi, and Haru each took a sip.

Chrome giggled, "See Uni, you're not alone."

Hayato and Yamamoto finally came back after a dozen more rounds. We informed them of what we were doing now, and no one pointed out that it sure took them a long time. It was Belphegor's turn, "Have you ever kissed someone of the same gender?"

Bel asked that knowing full well he had to take a sip as well. Mukuro, Kyoko, Haru, Shoichi, Tsuna, Hayato, Yamamoto, and I all took a sip.

"Interesting…" He commented.

"Have you ever killed anybody?" Shoichi asked. We all looked at Bel and Mukuro but neither of them drank.

It was my turn now. I thought about it for a moment then asked, "In the last forty-eight hours have you had a nightmare?"

I haven't had any dreams recently so I was safe from my own question, however everyone else drank to it.

We continued playing and questions like, "Have you ever taken a nude picture of yourself?", "Are you afraid of the dark?", "Do you skip classes?", and "Do you like someone who is in this room?" were asked. Things were staring to slow down now.

"Pillow fight to the extreme!" Ryohei shouted out of the blue before hitting Tsuna in the face with a pillow. Guess it was time for mayhem and the destruction of Hayato's furniture. A sure fired way to never get invited back over…

It was fun. Having no cares in the world as we whacked the stuffing out of each other. On several occasions I found myself using Belphegor as a shield. He wasn't too happy about it though and paid me back with much more force than the other attacker.

Someone almost knocked over a lamp once, and Yamamoto tripped over a pillow and fell onto Uni. Overall though no one got hurt, which considering the people gathered here, was short of a miracle.

"I'm exhausted," Tsuna sighed, slumping onto the floor. "How long have we been going at this?"

"Awhile." Was Shoichi's reply.

"I think it's time to sleep, I don't know about you all but I'm ready for it." Hayato yawned at that moment. His yawn set off a chain reaction, causing others to yawn as well. I hated it when that happens.

"I agree," Chrome said, heading towards the door.

"Yup, time to catch some Zs." Kyoko smiled, following the other girl, "Goodnight everybody!"

"Goodnight!"

-6-6-6-

All the boys ended up sleeping on the floor. We stripped the beds of their blankets and gathered up all the pillows and made one giant makeshift bed on the floor. Hayato was a little apprehensive about letting Bel sleep next to me, now that we were dating, but he didn't really have any other option because Bel wouldn't allow anything else. There was still a good enough distance between us on the floor, but he was close enough, and that was all that mattered. We all talked for awhile, about nothing in particular, and people were just beginning to fade. I could here soft snoring and light breathing from almost everyone now.

I felt Bel shift over onto his side so now he was facing me. Very quietly he whispered, "Are you feeling better today?"

"Yeah, I think so."

He gave a soft chuckle, "You're not sure?"

"Well…"

"Don't worry so much." He reached out, interweaving his fingertips into my hair, "Whatever happens will happen, and I'll be here with you through it all."

"Belphegor…"

He suddenly leaned over me, his eyes were smiling though his face read no expression, and he placed a tender kiss upon my lips. He pulled up and before laying back down he said, "Goodnight Fran."

Goodnight my prince.

-6-6-6-

"So how was the sleepover?"

I had just walked in through the front door, dragging my stuff behind me. My hair was a mess, my clothes horribly wrinkled, and I hadn't looked in a mirror yet but I was sure I had dark rings under my eyes. I looked at my father who was sitting on the couch with a morning cup of coffee. "At three in the morning the girls woke us up screaming that their was a monster outside so we all grabbed flashlights and searched the grounds. There was no monster, only Hayato's dad, but we only found that out after we blasted him with our water guns. He didn't get very upset but he did, in good nature, send his employees after us. We were locked outside by the maids and chased around by the gardener who had a hose. We eventually crashed on the living room floor after changing clothes but got woken up by the maids vacuuming only two hours after we went to sleep."

"Sounds like you had a rough night."

I paused to reflect, then gave my dad a small smile, "It was a lot of fun."

"Good, I'm happy to hear that." He smiled back at me.

Belphegor was right, whatever happens is going to happen, and there was nothing I could do about it. After all in this crazy messed up world aren't we all just along for the ride?

I stumbled over to the couch and plopped down on it. I leaned my head against dad's shoulder, inhaling deeply. Like Belphegor dad had a scent all to himself, it was something I could still remember from when I was a small child. It was the smell of home.

Dad patted me on the head, something he used to do a lot when I was still little enough to sit on his lap. After a few moments he said, "You're growing up too fast."

"…sorry…" I mumbled, barely awake.

"It's not your fault." Dad sighed contently, "I just need to remember that."

"Hm."

"About yesterday…" He began, and I forced myself to stay conscious, "I'm sorry about my behavior. I just lost it when I imagined losing you like I had your mother. You're all I've got in this world…"

"Dad," I looked up at him, "I'm sorry too. I was feeling strange, and I just needed to-"

"I understand." He said, swishing around the coffee in his cup, "I'm just glad this Belphegor fellow is someone you can talk to."

"Yeah." I paused as something important occurred to me, "About Bel…"

"Hm?" Dad smiled at me.

"He's not just my friend…" I twiddling my thumbs, "He's more than that."

"Oh?"

"He's my boyfriend…" I said, feeling my face turn red. I waited for my dad to say something, anything, but he didn't. I was worried he was mad again. Finally I dared to look at him, and what I saw I wasn't expecting. He seemed amused!

Finally he said, "Your mother was always intuitive."

"What?"

He closed his eyes, recalling the memory, "She always had a feeling you would find a nice boy one day. Someone who could take care of you, protect you, and most of all make you happy. I had my doubts back then, after all you were still so young, but I guess she was right after all."

"…" Mom thought I was gay from the very beginning… that's sort of awkward.

"Belphegor huh? I guess I'll have to meet this boy and have a talk with him."

"I suppose that's fair." I was happy to know dad didn't think of me as a freak.

"I know the perfect place and time I can do it!" Dad said cheerfully, already scheming it seemed.

I gave him an odd look, "When?"

"Your open house is coming up, I got a letter in the mail this morning informing me about it! I get to meet all your teachers and classmates, it will be so much fun, and afterwards we can invite Belphegor over to our house for dinner. Heck maybe his entire family can come, that way I get to meet them too! Oh it's going to be wonderful!" Dad stood up, while still babbling, making a list of all the things he needed to prepare.

I internally smiled as I watched him acting like his normal self. Then my mind broke. Open house. Dad meeting my teachers. Dad meeting all my friends. Bel coming over for dinner. Dad making dinner. Bel talking with dad. Bel's family coming over. His family? Lussuria, Squalo, Xanxus? Oh god. "Dad wait a minute let's talk this over!"

"Lalala I'm not listening Frannie!" Dad twirled as he put his coffee cup in the sink.

"Dad! You're going to ruin my life!"

"You're over exaggerating!" Dad said, "I can wear my salsa outfit!"

"It's bad enough our car looks like a giant frog! Do you have to torture me?"

"Lighten up!" He beamed at me.

"But… but…" I muttered. Whatever happens will happen my ass! I can't just sit back and do nothing. I have to prevent this monstrosity from happening!

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **Thank you everyone for your support with my personal problems (though I have many you know which one I'm talking about). Next chapter is Open House! Gosh it's going to be a lot of fun to write. xD I wanted this chapter to be serious, but also still be funny. I hope I succeeded. I thought about not having Bel show up at the sleepover, but decided he needed to be there. Bel is actually a pretty sweet guy in my story, if it's too ooc please tell me and I'll try to tone it down (it's just that I can't help it because it's so cute and I know if he loved Fran as much as I know he does then he wouldn't be TOO cruel ALL the time =) ). This chapter was mainly about building up relationships. There's Fran and his friends, Fran and Bel, but more importantly the relationship between Fran and his dad (hence the title).

Now it's time for Thanksgiving break and I have to spend time with _my _crazy family. _xD _

Thank you so much for reading my story and reviewing! It means the world to me. ^^

Love you all~ Addicted to Dreams~


	11. Knickknack the Patty's Back

Knickknack the Patty's Back

"It's bad enough our car looks like a giant frog! Do you have to torture me?"

"Lighten up!" He beamed at me.

"But… but…" I muttered. Whatever happens will happen my ass! I can't just sit back and do nothing. I have to prevent this monstrosity from happening!

-6-6-6-

It happened. My life is over.

"Frannie, sit in your seat normally!" Dad scolded me as he pulled into the school parking lot. I glanced out the window and already groups of kids were gathered. They were gawking at our car, no doubt, and I could already imagine the rumors that would spread. Yup, it was all about the dumb car. All their eyes were fixated on its froggy likeness.

At least Dad was dressed in normal clothing.

"Dad I hate you."

"It's not so bad…"

"They're taking pictures with their cell phones!"

Dad laughed as he turned the engine off, "It's not like you to be so concerned with other people's opinions."

"Yeah but-"

"Oh my God, Frannie, is that you?" A muffled voice asked.

I looked out my window and cried out in despair as Byakuran bounded over to the side of our car. My dad opened up his door and greet the man. I begrudgingly got out and joined them.

"So you're the principle?"

Yeah, I still can't believe it either.

Dad had talked to him over the phone on my first day of school, though I wasn't sure if he remembered.

Byakuran laughed, "Yes, I'm in charge of this fine school."

"Byakuran!"

We all turned out heads in the direction of the voice. It was Fon, he was still in a wheelchair, and he rolled up to us. The man's black hair appeared to be wet, as it sat in it's braid, and he was still in his pajamas.

"You are the most inconsiderate person I know! You didn't even wait for me to finish my bath before dragging me to school an hour early!" Fon huffed. It seemed like he was having a rough morning, that sounded familiar. "And these pajamas you gave me to wear are the ones you got me last Christmas. There's a reason I haven't wore them yet! I mean look at these-"

Byakuran popped a marshmallow into the ranting man's mouth.

"Chew it carefully and swallow." Byakuran instructed Fon, tousling the man's bangs mischievously. To my dad he said, "This is Fon, _my _vice principle."

"Nice to meet you, I'm Frannie's father." Dad shook Fon's hand, "And you know, I think those pajamas look good on you."

Fon's pajama's were a dark red color, which was a good color for Fon, whose black hair stood out against it. They would have been a nice pair of pajamas but for the word printed on the front, naughty, and all over the top and pants were lighter red handprints implicating certain actions. I could just picture Byakuran squealing in delight in the store when he found them. Yeah… that was totally something he would buy…

At my father's words Fon turned to me and gave me a look of sympathy. We shared a similar pain. Fon turned back to Byakuran, "This is hardly appropriate for school though."

"Well, if you really don't want to wear it you don't have to," Byakuran said, sounding a bit disappointed, though his violet eyes told another story, as they still sparkled with mischief, "If you want you can take it off."

"And what would I wear instead? I wasn't able to grab any spare clothes when you dragged my out of my house."

Byakuran giggled like a school girl.

"Byakuran!" Fon's face became flush.

"Guess that means you're stuck in your pajamas," Byakuran said, grabbing the back of the wheelchair, "But it's okay, because you know what? I think it makes you look sexy."

Byakuran looked up at my father and I who were just standing there, "If you'll excuse us, we'll be seeing you later!"

Once they were gone I turned to my father to gauge his mood. I wasn't too surprised to find him smiling like an idiot.

"Your principle and vice principle are quite the pair." Dad said, shoving one hand in his pants pocket, and placing his other hand on my back.

"You haven't seen anything yet." I grumbled. Looking over at the school I could see that as the beginning of class got closer the crowds staring at us and our car got fewer. Thank God for small miracles.

"Hahaha," Dad laughed, steering me towards the front doors, "I can't wait."

"Umm, excuse me, Fran?"

The voice was that of I-pin's I turned to her, and she greeted me with a bow. Her hair was done in two braids today, and she wore a flower pin in her hair. "I'm sorry to bother you, but have you see my father around here?"

"You're father?"

"Oh, sorry, um…" She blushed. "You would know him better as Fon."

…

…

…

"What?" I asked her, shocked. "But Hibari looks more like Fon than you do."

"Ah! Well that's because he's Fon's son."

…

…

"Eh?"

"Well Hibari is our last name… Fon's, mine, and Kyoya's." She blushed some more, "I thought everyone already knew that."

…

"Who is Kyoya?"

"My brother, you know, the one we all call Hibari. He prefers it that way." She smiled, "Though he's only my stepbrother, because Fon adopted me."

"Wow I-Pin, I can't believe I never knew that about you…" I felt pretty stupid. Kyoya, no Hibari, did look a lot like Fon! And the only person he was ever really nice to, as far as I could tell, was I-Pin. It all made sense now, well most of it.

"It's not your fault, it's not like we advertise it. Also you never see us together because we come to school at different times." She sighed.

I thought about on the fieldtrip, when Fon got hurt, neither had seemed upset about it. I could understand Hibari, but I-Pin saying nothing…? She must have noticed my staring, and read my mind, because she smiled and said, "Father doesn't like us making a fuss over him, he claims he has Byakuran to do that."

"Speaking of which, I did see your father moments before you asked me. Byakuran wheeled him into the school already."

"Oh good, I brought him his clothes, he left the house without them this morning." She said, holding up a brown paper bag.

I mentally laughed, then said, "You'll be his lifesaver."

I-Pin nodded her head and walked off to go find him. I've only ever had a few conversations with her before. A few times at school, though those were very brief, when she asked me to help Futa and Basil on the fieldtrip, and a few other times during the trip… but that was about it. It just goes to show that you can be near someone a lot and still never communicate with them.

After that dad and I got inside the building without bumping into anyone else I knew.

"Oh before I forget," I said, handing my father a pair of shoes as I put on mine from my footlocker, "The school has given all the parents a pair."

"Oh, how thoughtful!" Dad said, slipping them on and putting his dirty ones with mine.

"So what is our first period of the day?"

"English with Reborn." I said, already imagining the chaos the morning would bring.

"Good morning Fran!" Tsuna called.

I turned around and beside Tsuna was, who I assumed, his mother. Her face was warm and smiling, which was not too different from Tsuna's own, though he looked slightly embarrassed.

"Oh, Tsuna, is this one of your little friends?" His mother gushed, waving cheerfully at me, "Thank you for taking care of my son. He needs all the help he can get!"

"Uh…" I didn't know what to say to that.

"So what's your name sweetie?"

"Fran."

She looked up at my dad, "And who is this handsome gentleman behind you?"

"Mom!" Tsuna blushed, "Just because dad's working in the oil fields doesn't mean…"

"Oh you know I meant nothing by it!" She gave her son a huge hug before turning back to my dad, "My name is Nana Sawada."

"Ah, nice to meet you Mrs. Sawada," Dad shook her hand, "My name is Akara-"

_Ring!_

"Ah the bell!" Tsuna grabbed his mom's arm, "Hurry, we don't want to be late to Reborn's class!"

"Hey Frannie, isn't that where we're going?"

-6-6-6-

I walked into the classroom, dad in tow, and the first thing I noticed was a bunch of parents. They seemed well informed of our teacher's tendencies, for they all looked weary in the back of the classroom. I walked over to my desk and placed my frog backpack where I normally did, underneath my seat. I sat down, looked up, and noticed a familiar mop of silver hair spread across the desk in front of me. "What happened to Hayato?"

"Ah ha ha…" Kyoko laughed nervously. I didn't understand why until the door opened up and in walked Bianchi. In her hand was a white paper cup. She walked over to us.

So that was why Hayato seemed to be out of it…

"Good morning Fran," She said as she placed the cup in front of Hayato. I could see the contents was water.

"Bianchi, my class has already started." Reborn said with a glint in his eye, his fedora was pulled down farther than usual, and his pet chameleon Leon was on his shoulder napping.

"Good morning Reborn!" Bianchi gushed.

"Why are you in my classroom?"

"I'm here for Hayato."

Reborn appeared like he was about to comment, but then thought otherwise. He instead turned to the entire class, "Welcome to Open House. Today you will be joining your child as they go through their classes, however today's schedule is unique. All classes will be shorter. We'll have all six periods before lunch. We'll have a longer lunch, and after that the principle has some fun stuff planned for us."

Reborn wrote the schedule out on the board. When he finished he looked over his shoulder at us, "Won't it be fun?"

"Sounds super!"

"Dad!" I looked down and beside my desk Dad sat cross-legged. I hadn't realized he was there.

Reborn, taking notice of us, glanced down at my father, "You're Fran's father?"

"Yes! Please call me by my first name, Akara."

"Akara? Nice to have you in my class today, your son is an excellent student."

"Why thank you!" Dad beamed at me.

"Though I have to wonder…" Reborn looked out the window, as if his thoughts were far away. He looked back at my father, "Does he get his talents from his mother… or you?"

"Eh?"

"Well Mr., I'm sorry, Akara, care to take an English test?" Reborn looked over at the other parents, "I'm sorry, how rude of me, would any of you like to take an English test?"

They all vigorously shook their heads no. Who could blame them?

Reborn looked back at my father, "Well?"

"Sure, okay, but it would be a lot more fun to play with more people." Dad then lit up, "How about a child and parent game? We can have three teams!"

Reborn smiled, "Okay, sounds like fun."

Was it just me or did anyone else get a creepy vibe from that smile? Wait a minute… "Dad don't volunteer me!"

"Too late!" Reborn announced, writing our names on the blackboard under the team name frog.

"Your choice in our team name is lacking taste." I boldly informed him as I helped my father move some desks to the front of the class. After all there was no going against Reborn's word, and this way we could be seated so everyone could see us.

"I thought it was appropriate." Reborn retorted before looking at everyone else, "So who wants to compete against this father son duo?"

"Us! We will!" Mrs. Sawada jumped up, waving her hand, "Come on Tsuna, let's show them what we've got!"

"Mom!" Tsuna tried sliding into his desk, a feeble attempt to disappear for Mrs. Sawada grabbed his arm and pulled him to the front of the class.

"Okay, I think I'll play." Yamamoto stood up, volunteering for the game. His father didn't look too thrilled but joined us in the front.

"Good, that makes three teams. We have team Frog, team Resolve, and team Sushi." Reborn wrote all the team names down. "The winning team will get a prize."

"Let's win this," Dad whispered to me, giving me the peace sign. What a dork… heh.

Reborn walked over to his desk and pulled out a stack of index cards, almost as if he had planned all of this from the start…

He looked over at Kyoko, "I need a score keeper, would you be willing to?"

"Sure," She stood up and grabbed a piece of chalk. She gave us all a thumbs-up, wishing us all luck. Hayato woke up at that moment. He saw us, figured out what was going on, and laughed at out misery.

"Why are you laughing?" Bianchi asked him. After that he hushed up, not wanting the unnecessary attention. Because Bianchi was wearing her goggles, I assumed she had fixed his breakfast that morning, which had caused Hayato's earlier discomfort.

"There will be eight rounds so each member of the team will go four times. Parents go first. Questions will be random. Any questions? No? Good." Reborn looked at us, "Game on."

Our team was first.

"Akara," Reborn turned to my father, "A Chameleon is a lizard, but it is also a way to describe a person. If I called you a chameleon, what would I be saying?"

"You would be calling me a person who rapidly changes their personality or appearance." My dad smiled, "That was too easy."

"Alright then, would you prefer something harder?"

My dad laughed, "Sure. Why not?"

"Break down the word Chameleon. What does it mean?"

My dad looked taken back at first, then smiled once again, "Okay. Let's see… it was a Greek word right? Or was it Latin…? Chame means "on the ground" and leon means "lion", or so I think."

"Correct."

Kyoko wrote a point under our team name.

"Mrs. Sawada." Reborn looked over at Tsuna's group, "What does the saying, 'a flash in the pan', mean?"

"I'm sorry, I don't know."

"It means a sudden brief success," He looked over at my father, "That will most likely not repeat."

Huh? Was that just a coincidence?

The game continued and soon it was my turn.

"Fran," Reborn looked at his index cards, "Spell the word dacryocystorhinostomies."

"Is that even a word?"

"Of course it is. It is the surgery to establish a new passage for the tears from the tear sac into the nose." Reborn read off is card, "Now please spell it."

I took a deep breath, "D-A-C-R-I-"

"Wrong." Reborn cut me off, "It's D-A-C-R-Y-O-C-Y-S-T-O-R-H-I-N-O-S-T-O-M-I-E-S."

"Don't worry about it," My dad patted me on the back as Reborn moved on, "I wouldn't have gotten that one right either."

"Yamamoto, what is a water hyacinth?"

Yamamoto blinked. I didn't think he knew what it was, I sure didn't, but then he said, "It's a plant…?"

Reborn nodded his head, "A bonus point to any team, whose members can answer my next question. What is the latin name for the water hyacinth?"

Dad opened his mouth but stopped.

"Do you know it?" I asked him under my breath.

He shook his head no.

"No, no one?" Reborn looked disappointed, "It's Eichhornia crassipes."

Once again it was my father's turn.

"Akara," Reborn looked at his note card then paused.

"Yes?" My dad gripped his knees, eager for his next question. I could tell he really wanted to win the game, but not for the sake of winning, if that made sense. He just really seemed to be happy to be able to play the game with me. It made me feel bad for being embarrassed about him coming here with me. After all my dad was pretty cool… in a dorky sort of way.

"I'm not sure how this card got in here… but…" Reborn shook some glitter off the card. I had a pretty good idea where it came from after that. Reborn looked over at my dad, his eyes were hidden by his fedora, "What is a gayelle?"

"A what…?"

"A gayelle."

"Umm… it sounds Spanish… but I…" My dad stopped to think about it, "It must come from the Spanish term gallera, which means "cockpit"… so is it part of a plane?"

"No."

"So what is it?"

"It's an arena used for cockfighting."

My dad looked confused, "Cock fighting…?"

I knew he was getting weird images in his head so I quickly told him, "A cock is another name for a male chicken. Cockfighting is where people make these chickens fight each other."

"I knew that," Dad said brightly.

"Then why were you making such a face…?" I slapped my forehead, "Never mind…"

The last round had passed and in the end our team was tied with Yamamoto's. Tsuna didn't seem to care, now that he was back at his desk, safe from Reborn's piercing gaze.

"Since it's a tiebreaker let's do something special." Reborn said, tossing his index cards onto his desk, "I'll ask each of you the same question, the correct answer will win you an additional point for your team. This question is extra special though because it'll be written down."

Reborn pulled out four pieces of paper and handed us each one, along with a black pen. I looked down at the question. It read 'What is a frog?'.

...

"Okay, time's up." Reborn said, "You can each read your answer out loud, starting with you Akara."

"A frog is a steel plate used to guide the wheels of a train over a place where two rails cross." My dad said proudly.

Reborn turned to Yamamoto's father. The man said, "A frog is a tough flexible pad in the middle of the sole of a horse's hoof."

Reborn looked at me, "Fran?"

I wasn't going to be goaded into saying it, so instead I said, "A frog is a decorative fastening for the front of a garment, consisting of a loop of braid or cord and a button, knot, or toggle that fits into the loop."

Reborn looked at Yamamoto.

"A frog is an offensive term for someone who is French."

Reborn blinked at us, "…Correct…"

After that he mumbled something under his breath about how the question was suppose to be something about the Latin root of some word. I did think the definition of the word frog was too easy, oh well.

"Does that mean we both win?" Yamamoto asked.

"No, that means we go into a double tiebreaker." Reborn said. He turned around, I couldn't see what he was doing, but when he turned back to us I saw his gun. Without thinking I ducked. It had become a reflex after being in his class.

_BANG!_

I turned and looked at the wall, where a hole now was. Bits of plaster were everywhere. I looked over at my dad, who hadn't bothered to duck when the gun was drawn. His eyes were wide in shock, maybe he would start believing me when I told him all the crazy stuff my homeroom teacher did.

"That seals the deal," Reborn said, stashing his gun away, "Team frog wins."

"Huh?" I couldn't help but question our teacher's logic.

He looked over at my dad and smirked, "Akara was the only person not to take cover. Very brave or just plain stupid…"

Reborn seemed to be lost in thought again, then he smiled at me, "I see the family resemblance."

Hey!

Just then the bell rang for second period. Wow we really did have shorter classes.

"About your prize…" Reborn rubbed Leon's head, the little Lizard had been asleep up until now, "You'll receive it later."

"Thanks!" My father said, picking up my backpack, "I can't wait to see what it is."

"I bet you can't." Reborn mumbled as we left the room.

Out of all the strange days I've had in that room, that was by far the strangest.

"What an interesting man that English teacher of yours."

"Yeah, no kidding." I said as we headed towards Home Economics, "You're pretty interesting yourself."

"You really think so?" Dad gave me a side hug. Some students gave us some weird looks. I get that a lot. "That makes me so happy!"

"Dad."

"Yes Frannie?"

"I can't breath."

"Oh!" He let go of me. "Sorry about that!"

I looked over at him. He looked rather cute holding my backpack. I wonder what Dad was like when he was my age…? I never saw any of his school yearbooks before. I would have to ask him to see them when I had a chance.

"Hey Hayato," I said after entering the room. He looked worn out, and in need of a smoke.

"Fran…" He sighed, then saw my father and sat up straight. "Hey Akara!"

"Hayato!"

I sat down, "Wow, don't you two sound like great friends."

"You're dad's cool." Hayato said, giving my dad a high five… That is so lame. Who high fives their friends' parents?

"Good morning students, and parents." Bianchi greeted us. "Today we're going to make cupcakes!"

And my day just gets worse. The only good thing about today was Belphegor was suppose to be back in school, his suspension was over now.

All the students, along with their parents, broke off into separate areas where all the ingredients were already laid out. The surface of our counter was sparkly clean, and all the utensils were laid out in a row. There were two aprons set aside for our area. Dad picked up the big one and laughed.

"What's so funny?" I asked him as I looked at the instructions for homemade cupcakes, a very handy piece of paper that the teacher must have printed out for us.

"Kiss the cook."

I looked over at his apron, and sure enough it said that. Worried, I looked over at mine. It didn't have any writing on it, but it was rainbow in color. _Very _rainbow. I slipped the thing on, and already I knew it clashed with my hair.

"Aww, you look cute!"

"Let's just get this over with."

"So we have a choice of what kind we want to make," Dad said, looking over everything, "So what do you want to make?"

"Hmm. Well how about red velvet?"

Dad looked at me surprised. His expression softened, "That was your mother's favorite."

"Was it?" I traced the edge of the counter with my finger, "I didn't know that."

"It's a personal favorite of mine as well."

I looked over at him. He must have been thinking of happy thoughts, and not painful memories, because his face was one of calm bliss.

"Well then it's decided," I said, pushing up the sleeves of my uniform so they wouldn't get dirty, "We'll make red velvet cupcakes."

I grabbed the piece of paper and looked for the recipe, "Uh oh."

"What's wrong?"

"This doesn't have the recipe for red velvet…"

Dad grabbed the paper form my hand and set it aside, "We don't need it. I have all we need to know memorized."

I looked over to where Hayato was suffering under Bianchi's careful instructions. No one would want to try her poison cupcakes. I knew the feeling though because Dad was horrible at cooking. I looked at him unsure whether or not to trust him with this task.

He went over to the oven to preheat it. He then picked up the stack of yellow cupcake papers. He noticed my unsure gaze, "Count out 24 of these."

"Dad, I don't know…"

He smiled down at his hands as he picked up the flour, "I used to make them all the time for your mother, it was the only thing I could get right, and she just loved them. I always teased her that she was going to get fat. She didn't appreciate that…"

Dad…

"Okay, so what do you want me to do after I count out 24 of these?"

"Place them in this muffin tin so we can stick them in the oven later."

We began working together, getting out all the proper ingredients for our dessert. When it came time to get the eggs I walked over to the fridge. On my way over there I heard Ginger arguing with his mother. The woman was tall, lean, and had long flowing blond hair.

"I told you to beat it for 2 minutes! Not 2 minutes and 7 seconds! Now we'll have to start all over." She snapped, stomping her fancy heels on the tiled floor. I felt bad for Ginger, his mom was a perfectionist nut job, or so it seemed.

"Oh good you got the eggs," Dad said, passing a bowl over to me, "We need to add them to the 1 cup of buttermilk, 1/8 cup water, 1/8 cup of red food coloring, 1 teaspoon of white vinegar, and 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract. We need to make sure they all get well blended together."

I began to follow his instructions, making sure I got the right amount of each item into the bowl. After I was finished we mixed in the flour mixture we had created earlier, and mixed them together until it was smooth. We filled each cupcake paper 2/3 full, and the placed the muffin tin into the oven.

"Now we have to wait 20 to 25 minutes," Dad said, wiping his brow. He gave me a toothy grin, then lightly punched my arm, "Nice job partner."

"Yeah," I said, sitting down on one of the nearby chairs.

"You know…" Dad said, pulling up a chair beside mine, "This would be a fun activity for you and Belphegor to do."

"Baking?" I asked, skeptical.

"It can be very romantic." Dad said reassuringly, "Your mother and I used to burn everything because we would get so caught up in the moment."

"Maybe that's why you fail at cooking… and ew, too much information." I covered my face with my hand, trying to block out the image. However it was too late, and some images did get past my barriers, but they were not ones of my parents.

I could just imagine Belphegor and I baking a cake together. He could stand behind me, helping me stir the ingredients, as his lips would roam my neck. Then as we waited for the cake to bake and cool, our tongues could do a little mixing of their own. Oh, and when it would come time to frost, we could play around with frosting, licking it off the spoon, and off each other…

"Frannie, you're drooling."

"Oh." Oh my god! I could feel my face turn red as I wiped away the saliva.

"Don't be embarrassed, the cupcakes do smell delicious." Dad said before getting up to peek at them through the small window on the oven.

My face got even redder. It was impossible not to blush though! I had never thought of Belphegor is such a manor before, I mean, never like that… I quickly became aware of a problem occurring between my legs. Ah! This had never happened to me this bad at school before. What was I going to do? My reality flashed back to the fantasy world I had created, and in it Bel was offering to fix my "problem" for me. His long fingers sliding along my abdomen, slowing down as they got closer to their destination. The feeling of them brushing against it's sensitive skin…

I mentally slapped myself. That wasn't helping the situation any!

"Hey Frannie, are you okay?" Dad was looking at me, his face emanating concern, "Your face is still red. Are you too hot?"

You have no idea.

"Maybe you should get away from the ovens for awhile." Dad suggested.

"I don't think that would help." I said, forcing myself to stay calm.

"Why not?"

Why did you have to ask me that question? There's no way I can tell you the truth. There's no lie I could come up with on the spot that would make sense. Ugh! I turned away, "I'm okay, really."

"Okay, if you say so." Dad said, checking on the cupcakes. He did the toothpick test and they passed, so he pulled them out of the oven to cool.

I needed to think of something to make it go away. Something that was a complete and total turnoff. Something that repulsed me. Something that was so hideously disgusting… That's when I thought of Levi's face, and already I was getting results. So that guy was good for something after all.

"Want to help me frost them now?" Dad asked, waving a spoon filled with the stuff in front of my face.

"You idiot!" I said, dashing out of the room to find the nearest bathroom.

"Frannie!" Dad called after me.

"Don't worry," Some mother told him, "It's just one of the phases your daughter goes through when growing up, trust me I have three of them."

-6-6-6-

"I was wondering if you were ever going to come back."

"Sorry." Was all I could say. I wasn't able to get rid of it manually, I was too much of a coward to do something like that in the school's bathroom where anyone might hear me, so I ended up having to wait for it to go away on its own.

"I went ahead and frosted them, and then cleaned up." Dad said, handing me one. "Why don't you try one?"

I was about to bite into it when I noticed Mukuro and Chikusa in a corner of the room. None of their parents had shown up, so they didn't bake, even though Bianchi had told them they could. To be honest I was pretty sure they were orphans living in some abandoned warehouse, or at least I could picture them as such. Along with Chrome and that other guy they hung out with, Ken. I stared down at the cupcake in my hand.

"Go ahead." Dad said, handing me another cupcake and nudged me in their direction. Damn it, I had yet to decide if I wanted to or not! Oh well…

"Uh hey guys." I said, walking up to them. Neither seemed real happy to be disturbed, but that could have just been their grumpy faces. When they saw it was me at least Mukuro smiled.

Mukuro looked at what I was holding, "Are those for us?"

"Yeah, do you want them?" I held out the cupcakes for them to take.

Chikusa took his, looking at it as if it were some science experiment that no one knew what it did. Mukuro stood up from his seat and grabbed his.

"How sweet of you," He said before leaning in and licking my cheek, "Ah, but I do believe you are far sweeter."

I fought the urge to wipe my cheek and muttered, "Yeah, whatever."

-6-6-6-

"Your teacher was nice to allow us to leave our cupcakes in her classroom until after school." Dad said as we reached my third period class. "So this is electronics?"

"Yup, don't touch anything." I walked over to where Tsuna was sitting.

"Hi again." His mother waved at us.

I politely waved back at her. I was wondering why dad hadn't said anything to her yet when I turned around and watched in horror as he plugged in the Moska, the same mistake Tsuna had made on the first day of school. I held my breath but nothing happened.

"What's with that face?" Dad asked, sitting down beside me, unaware of the fact that he could have just been killed.

"I told you not to touch anything."

"Good morning Tsuna." I heard his voice and turned around to see Spanner. He was drinking his usual green tea out of a coffee cup, and was using a sucker to stir the drink. He seemed on edge because of all the extra people in the room.

Before Tsuna could greet the man his mother jumped in, "Hello, are you one of Tsuna's friends?"

Spanned looked startled by the question, and fumbled over words trying to answer it, "Well I… uh…"

"Thank you for taking such great care of him."

"Well yeah… sure… I mean…" Spanner stuck his sucker back into his mouth, so he would have an excuse not to talk, and looked at Tsuna for help.

"Mom, this is Spanner," Tsuna introduced her, he was about to explain who he was when she cut him off.

"Oh Spanner! Tsuna talks about you all the time. It's so nice to finally meet you."

"I do not!" Tsuna protested.

His mom smiled, "In your sleep you do."

Spanner's eyes slightly grew in size.

_Crunch_

Well there went his sucker…

Tsuna's face turned beet red.

"There must be something going around," Dad said, observing Tsuna's face, "Because my Frannie looked like that earlier."

"Shut up dad, you're not helping…" I mumbled, but I don't think he heard me.

I felt bad for Tsuna, but there really wasn't much I could do for him. I also felt bad for Spanner, who at the moment resembled his Moska, lifeless and possibly broken.

"Uh…" Spanner opened his mouth, but nothing else came out.

"Mom, Spanner is our electronics teacher." Tsuna spit out.

"Oh?" She looked at the man, who now stood there more awkwardly than ever, "You must really love electronics then!"

Tsuna laughed nervously, though he seemed relieved that his mother had come to that conclusion on her own.

Spanner hadn't planned anything special for us, I was glad, so we just worked on the computers today. I saw Lambo's mom and dad, who were both really beautiful. He was busy showing them all that he had been working on though, so I didn't feel like interrupting them.

I looked over at Dad, who was obviously feigning interest. It was hard explaining things to him because there was a lot to explain, and he had no background information on the subject so that made it even harder. I wasn't like Lambo who was at the top of the class, I still didn't understand some things, and so trying to teach it to someone else was anything but possible.

Just when Dad was about to fall asleep Spanner walked over to us. So far he had been avoiding our area of the room, especially after that little ordeal with Tsuna's mom.

"How old are you?" Spanner randomly asked Dad.

"Who me?" Dad balked.

"You seem rather young." Spanner commented, his green eyes scanning Dad from head to toe.

Dad laughed, "So do you."

"I suppose so…" Spanner must have recalled how earlier he had been mistaken for being a student, must have been bothering him still. He suddenly pulled out a sucker from his pocket, "Want one?"

Dad accepted it, "Thank you!"

Spanner smiled then left.

"Seems you've made a friend."

Dad looked at me, "What makes you say that?"

"Spanner doesn't offer suckers to just anyone."

-6-6-6-

"Okay, don't make eye contact with him. Avoid addressing him. Try to remain quiet at all times."

"I think you're overreacting," Dad said, opening the door to Xanxus's classroom. It was now time for fourth period math.

"Are we early?" I asked, as soon as I stepped into the room I noticed a lack of people. There was only one person in the entire room, and that was the teacher.

"Che, so you two had the balls to come to my classroom, well good for you." Xanxus leaned back in his chair, plopping his boots up on his desk.

So everyone else decided to ditch math today, great, how come I didn't get the notice? I would have taken my usual seat by the window, but it would have felt weird with no one else around, so instead I opted to sit front and center. Dad sat down right beside me. He looked around the room questioningly, unaware of why no one cared to show up.

We sat there staring at Xanxus, he stared back at us.

"Well there's no point in teaching you anything today, not like you would have learned something if I had tried." Xanxus grumbled.

He got me there.

"So…" Dad twiddled his thumbs, "What was your name again?"

"…"

"Mine is Akara." Dad said, not picking up on the death glare he was receiving.

"Hey Xanxus!" The door flung open and Squalo's mass of white hair floated in. For a brief moment he was thrown off by the lack of students, but then shrugged it off. "Did you get your instructions from Byakuran this morning for the event later?"

Xanxus picked up a paper and waved it.

"Good, I just wanted to make sure you didn't destroy it before looking at it." Squalo turned to us. "Why if it isn't Fran and his father. Long time no see Akara."

The last time Squalo talked to Dad was when he picked me up from their house, but there was also that brief moment when Squalo drove me home the day I skipped school. Looking back on it I couldn't believe I got in a car that had him behind the wheel…

Dad waved, "Ah, that reminds me! I wanted to invite you, and all members of your household, to supper tonight. Since Belphegor and Fran are dating now I thought it would be a good idea to get the families together."

Squalo looked over at me, seeming to contemplate whether or not it was a good idea. He finally said, "Sure, why not?"

I had been silently hoping he would say no…

Xanxus stood up, walked over to my dad, and stared at him intensely, "One important question, what kind of meat will you be serving?"

"I was thinking steak over the barbecue."

"Fine, I'll be there."

"You better have Squalo cook the meat though." I warned him.

Squalo's eyebrows shot up, "Why is that?"

"Well if you want the meat to be edible…"

Xanxus looked over at Squalo. The man sighed, "I'll do it."

After that Squalo left, leaving the three of us all alone again. None of us said anything for a few minutes, having nothing to say. Finally Xanxus sat down on his desk, looking jaded, and asked, "So do you want to do math problems…?"

"No, not really." I replied truthfully.

"That's it," Xanxus got up and walked over towards the door, "I'm out of here. You can stay if you want, or leave, I don't care."

With that the teacher was gone, and he didn't even slam the door on his way out. Dad seemed to be off in his own little world of thoughts, so I got up to look out through the window. It was such a bright sunny day, there were a few large grey clouds swimming in the sky, but other than that it was perfect out. I looked across to the other side of the building, hopeful that Belphegor would be there. He wasn't. I kept my eyes glued on the spot though, just in case he might suddenly appear. I imagined for a moment that it was like most days, and when I would come into the classroom and sit down I would see him already sitting there. He would be looking out the window waiting for me, because at some point he realized I sat there. His blond hair would practically be glowing in the rays of the sun, and his crown would be skewed on his head. My eyes caught sudden movement and I focused once again. Was it Bel?

…

It was not Bel, far from it.

Was that Ginger… and Genkishi? I took a closer look and jumped backwards. Those two were…

_Knock Knock_

"Excuse me," A woman poked her head into the room, I immediately recognized her as Ginger's mother. It looked like she was about to apologize for interrupting, but upon seeing it was just me and dad, she asked, "Have either of you see my son Ginger?"

"No, sorry madam." Dad said politely.

They both turned to me. My eyes darted to the window where the two were going at it like a couple of rabid homosexuals, "Nope, haven't seen him since second period."

"Thanks." She said, not sounding like she meant it, and then left.

Dad walked over to me, wearing a grin on his face, "What seems to be so fascinating out there?"

"Uh…" I turned my back on him, trying to block the view with my body. I wasn't sure why I was doing it, or why I had lied to Ginger's mother to protect the couple.

Dad was tall enough to look over my shoulder, so my efforts in blocking was futile, "What? I really don't see what there is to look at."

I opened my eyes and looked at the spot where the two had been seconds before. Luckily it appeared someone on the other side had pulled down the shades. It had been a close call. I looked back at dad, "Well you know…"

"No, I don't think I do." Dad ruffled my hair, "How about we get out of here and you can show me more of the school."

-6-6-6-

"And she will rise up from the ashes! And she shall take the soul of her fallen lover. For it is her spirit that wonders the empty halls of the ruined school, and it is her final breath that we should hear."

"What's this classroom?" Dad asked, indicating the room where the voice was booming from.

"That sounds like Lussuria's voice, so it must be drama class." I said, taking a peak through the window. Inside Lussuria and his students were putting on a play for the parents. They were dressed up in extravagant clothing, and most of them were wearing masks of some kind. I spotted Ryohei at once, he was hard to miss, his costume really showed off his muscular arms. There was something familiar about the costumes, and it took me a moment to think of what it was. They looked like Haru's handiwork!

"Do you have business with Lussuria?"

I turned around and saw Lal Mirch, her hair was tied back in a ponytail, and she was carrying a large box, with two smaller boxes on top.

"No, we were just walking the halls."

Dad held out his hands, "Would you like help with those?"

At first it seemed as if she was going to refuse, but relented at the last second, "Sure, why not."

We walked down the hall, shoulder to shoulder. I was carrying one of the smaller boxes, and so was Lal Mirch. Dad had insisted on carrying the biggest one. We were taking them to the teacher's lounge.

"Byakuran has all the teachers running around the school, he's crazy if you ask me." Lal Mirch was saying.

"He's really going out of his way to make today special, isn't he?" Dad smiled, "He's a real visionary."

"Maybe so, but I'm going to stick with crazy." We reached our destination, and another teacher was there to grab the boxes from us.

"Good luck." Dad told her as we were leaving.

"Heh," She shook her head sadly at us, "Keep your luck. You're the ones that'll be needing it."

If I wasn't nervous about the event happing later before, I was now.

-6-6-6-

"Hurry up dad." I said, tugging his arm.

"I'm coming, I'm coming. Jeez Frannie, if I didn't know any better I would think you were excited about fifth period."

I dragged dad through the doorway of the biology room, eager to see Belphegor. I looked around the room. All the jars of dead creatures were right where they should be. Viper was in the front of the class, his pet frog Fantasma was croaking happily while resting on his head. All the annoying upper classmen that didn't matter were there, chatting away with their friends and parents. I looked over at my table.

"Where's Belphegor?"

Viper noticed me just standing there in the doorway, "What was that Fran?"

"Bel… he's not here." I heard the words pour out of my mouth, but they didn't sound like my own. They sounded much more disappointed than mine. Much more disappointed…

Viper cleared his throat, grabbing my attention. He looked around the room, checking to make sure no one was paying attention, then motioned me closer. I scooted in, leaning my ear towards him. He whispered, "We're not suppose to tell anyone about this… but don't worry about Belphegor, he's helping the teachers with the event later on, and is excused from all his classes."

"Oh." I frowned, "But that doesn't make sense! My senpai would never help with school events."

Viper looked down at his feet. Fantasma stopped croaking. Viper shuffled his feet, "Well he may have been given an offer for his assistance, an offer he just could refuse…"

"They blackmailed him?"

"No, more like they offered him something he really wanted."

Something Belphegor really wanted…? But I thought I was all that he wanted…

"We should take a seat now." Dad said, leading me this time to an empty table.

It was bothering me. For the life of me I couldn't think of what he could want. More knives? No, surely he had plenty of those. His brother dead? Well yes, but could the school offer that? No. Well maybe… this _was _a messed up school after all. Could it be someone else he has his eye on?

"So today I decided we'll learn about the frog, and its close relative the toad." Viper looked at us, "Can any of you tell me the differences between the two?"

Dad raised his hand when no one else volunteered. So my dad was one of _those _types when he was in school…

"Yes?" Viper called on him.

"Frogs have moist skin, long muscular hind legs, and are typically bright colored. The toad, however, has dry warty skin, short hind legs, and their colors are more drab."

"You're right." Viper drew quick sketches of each on the board, "Both frogs and toads are anurans, and technically a toad is a type of frog."

I watched as Viper walked back and forth across the classroom, but I couldn't focus on anything he was saying.

"Frogs are in the zoological class Amphibia, which just means that they live in and out of the water. Typical frogs are called true frogs, and are members of the family Ranidae. However tree frogs are all members of the family Hylindae." Viper smiled, he seemed to really be passionate about frogs, "Tree frogs tend to be smaller than true frogs, they live in tropical regions, and can be identified by the sticky disk on their toes. That's there so they can climb trees."

"Unlike all other amphibians, frogs have no ribs." Viper said as he labeled the drawing of a frog's skeleton. He labled the skull, the spine, the urotyle, the ilium, the tibiofibula, and the radioulna. "Where humans have two lower arm bones, the radius and ulna, and two lower leg bones, the tibia and fibula, frogs only have one. They are fused together to add strength to the bone, so the frog is able to jump like it does."

"They have no teeth, instead they have a small set of curved ridges around the edge of their upper jaws called maxillary teeth. These are used to secure their prey, and to help push them inside their mouth."

It felt like I should be taking notes so I pulled out a piece of paper and began scribbling things down.

"The cerebellum is the most important part of the frog's brain. It helps coordinate the frog's movement; like swimming, jumping, and eating." Viper drew a picture of their nervous system, including the eyes, the cerebrum, the cerebellum, the spinal cord, and the sciatic nerve. I quickly copied it down. "I know it doesn't look like it but frogs have ears. It's called the tympanic membrane. When sound waves hit the outside eardrum the membrane vibrates and moves a small bone, called the columella. The other part of the columella is attached to the fluid-filled inner ear, and that tickles about 1,500 sensoy hairs lining the inner ear, which sends a signal to the brain."

"Is it true that they separate sounds into two different categories?" Dad asked. He seemed to be the only one really interested in this. If Bel were here he might have been…

"Why yes, it is." Viper seemed surprised that he asked, "Higher-pitched sounds belong to other frogs, and lower-pitched sounds belong to predators. At least that's how they see it. Or should I say hear it?"

"Fascinating." Dad breathed.

"What's even more fascinating than that is the fact that they can use their lungs to hear as well!" Viper was really getting into it now, "Their lungs also pick up on vibrations. Frogs have an unbroken airway from the lungs to the eardrums, which helps them pinpoint where the sound is coming from."

"Uh sorry to interrupt you…"

Lancia stood in the doorway, his face was red for some reason. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that everyone was staring at him now, or maybe it was because before Viper was just booming with enthusiasm. Even I had to admit the teacher looked adorable…

"Ah, yes Lancia, what is it?"

"Byakuran needs your help…"

Viper picked up Fantasma, walked over to Lancia, and plopped the frog in his hand. "I understand, please watch over my class while I am gone, and teach them about frogs."

It was a minute after Viper was gone that Lancia turned around and called, "But I can't teach a biology class, I'm just a ceramics teacher!"

Once he realized he was stuck with us, he walked to the board and looked at it. He gently stroked Fantasma's head, who really seemed to enjoy it. He looked at us, "I really don't know much about frogs…"

No one said anything for the longest time.

"I only know random facts about them that Viper has told me before. Like that they can breath through their skin, but I forgot why they do it. Oh, and when frogs shed they pull off their skin over their heads in one piece, and then they eat it." He looked nervous standing there. "And a group of frogs is called an army, which I thought was pretty cool."

"There's a white tree frog in eastern Australia that will wait outside bat caves, and when the bent-wing bats emerge the frogs will eat them!" Dad said, trying to be helpful.

I sighed, figuring I could say a random fact as well, "Because cold-blooded animals have trouble regulating their body heat, to cope with dry, hot conditions, some frogs will estivate. That, or they'll spend their summers where it's cooler."

"I've heard about that," Some girl jumped in, "They burrow down into cool soil and have only their nostrils poking up above the surface."

"The female Surinam toad will have her eggs pressed into her back by the male, and in an hour a layer of skin grows over them. They stay that way until they hatch." Some boy said.

"Ew, that's gross!"

"I'd hate to be that toad."

Lancia thought about it for a moment, "And did you know the most well known poison dart frogs are the Dendrobates of Central and South America. They are among the most toxic animals on the earth."

"So cool!"

"I want one."

"Idiot, you would probably get yourself killed."

"I wonder…" I muttered.

"What is it Frannie?"

"I wonder what kind of frog Fantasma is." I looked over at the frog in question.

Just then the bell rang, kids and parents alike filed out of the room. I was a little slow in leaving, being in no hurry to get to PE and all.

"Sorry about leaving you like that." Viper returned, a little out of breath, his hood riding up higher than usual. He must have been in a real hurry to get back.

"No problem." Lancia said, giving Viper back his pet, "Everything went fine, in truth better than I thought it would have."

"Come on Dad," I said, heading out of the classroom.

I heard Viper's voice before the door fell shut behind us. He sounded rather seducing as he said, "Well in that case I may just have to reward you for a job well done…"

What was it, mating season for gays? Wait a second, that included me. I thought back to my previous actions during second period. Who knows, maybe it was…

"Is it sixth period already?" Dad asked, catching up to me.

"Unfortunately."

-6-6-6-

"I recognize a few faces." Dad said, looking around. All the girls were changed into there PE shorts. I looked over and there was Yamamoto with his dad again. We gestured to each other. He seemed a little out of it so I beckoned him over.

"Is something wrong?" I asked him.

"Nah, it's just Hayato is in the nurse's office." Yamamoto shrugged his shoulders.

I knew the feeling of not being able to see the one you liked… "What happened to him?"

"Apparently he ate some of his and Bianchi's cupcakes. It gave him a terrible stomach ache." Yamamoto laughed, rubbing his finger under his nose, "I think I'll go visit him during lunch."

I'm sure Hayato would like that, though he would never admit it. Yup, I defiantly admired Yamamoto's persistence. I said, "Good idea. Though you got to wonder what compelled him to eat a cupcake he knew would make him sick."

"I heard a rumor that it was forced down his throat…"

"Ah, that's sisterly love for you…"

Yamamoto laughed, then I watched as he returned to his dad's side. They looked a lot alike. Just at a glance you could tell that he was his father's son. I glanced at Dad, you couldn't do the same with us.

"Okay kiddies, gather around." Colonnello called to us. Today he was wearing green shorts and a white T-shirt. He looked like he was in a good mood, his voice just a tune away from signing. His hair was pulled back with his bandanna, and his eyes were wide with cheer. We circled around him. Some of us were eager to hear what he had to say. I was not one of them. "I have a rare treat for you today."

There was a round of 'ughs' and sighs.

"I see today has put you all through the ringer already." Colonnello laughed. "Well I can't say my task for you today will be any better."

He took a step back to give us an enhanced look over, "So parents, do you feel like you've gotten a good taste of your child's school experience here at Namimori Middle School?"

Most of the parents shook their heads yes.

"Any of you feel closer to your child? Learn anything new about them? How about you kids? Learn anything new about your parents?"

At this points the parents look a little nervous. Dad looked over at me, I thought for sure he would be smiling, but instead his face seemed troubled. Dad…?

"Well if not, prepare to do so now!" Colonnello pulled out a box, reached inside it, and pulled out a long rectangular colored piece of cloth. "Cause guess what we're doing? Anyone? Anyone? No? Well we're going to have a three-legged race, but not just any three-legged race, a three-legged race around the town! Now follow me outside so I can tell you the rules."

Outside were a few more clouds than earlier, but otherwise it was still nice out.

"For those of you students blessed with having both of your parents here today, we have a separate race made just for you, to keep things fair." Colonnello proceeded to pass out the necessary amount of pieces of cloth to everyone. I saw him hand Futa two pieces. That's when I saw his parents. His mother was short like him, and shared his cute face. He had his father's hair.

"And one for you Fran." I grabbed the red cloth hesitantly, not sure if I wanted what it promised me. Dad offered to help tie it, so I passed it off to him. The difference in our heights could be a problem, but the bigger problem was the difference in our pace. I knew from experience that dad was faster when running. He once chased after an ice-cream truck, his intent was to get me ice-cream, but he only ended up chasing it around the park. Back then I wasn't able to keep up with him, so I ended up just sitting on one of the park's benches until he realized how big of a fool he was making himself look.

I smiled at the memory.

"Okay so here's how it's going to be, two people teams will follow the red arrows, three people teams will follow the yellow. The course will lead you all over town, and you may have to cross roads, so please go forth with caution."

With that we were shown our starting lines. I took a deep breath. I really hated competitions.

"Let's try our best."

"Do we have to?"

Dad just laughed.

"On your marks, get set, go!" Colonnello yelled, firing off a gun. I had a feeling it was a real one, and not just a starter's pistol.

At first Dad and I tried moving opposite legs.

"Outside legs first." Dad commanded. We started to create a rhythm after that, moving our legs in sync with each other. I had trouble though, like I thought I would, keeping up with his long legs and their even longer strides. Dad wrapped his arm around my shoulders, that way we wouldn't fall apart.

"We're doing good Frannie." Dad praised. It was hard to believe that with people passing us, but then again there were even more groups struggling to work together.

The first part of the race was a loop around the school. While we were passing it I noticed a large wooden box, now when I say large I mean tall tower size large, sitting in the back of the school. How could I have not seen it before, I'll never know. Sounds of construction were coming from it, and I tried to ignore it, and focus on the race. However I did notice Gamma in it's location, and it made me even more curious as to what was going on. Once we got beyond the school there was a long straight stretch. I could no longer see the teams in front of us, or the ones behind us. It was almost as if we were the only ones in the race. As we got into the busier part of town the path began to take more turns.

"We need to take a left." I said, seeing the red arrow up ahead. We continued on at a steady pace. Looking at this whole set up it would be really easy for people to cheat, to just cut through everything, but then again knowing our teachers they probably have some system set up to make sure that didn't happen.

All of the sudden Dad lunged ahead, quickening the pace. I hadn't been ready for it but I recovered without much difficulty. "Dad, why are we going faster? There's no way we're going to win."

"Trust me."

"I mean it, winning will be impossible, even if you have a trick up your sleeve." I said, a little annoyed that Dad was making me work harder than I had planned to.

"Fran," Dad looked at me, and something in his eyes made me lose my fight, "Trust me."

Without further complaint I hastened myself and that's when I heard it. Through my breathing I was still able to hear heavy footfalls. I glanced over my shoulder. Had one of the teams caught up to us?

"Fran!" Dad snapped at me, I turned my head back around, but it was too late. I had seen what my Dad must have seen earlier. It was only two people. Two ordinary people wearing normal clothes. There was only one strange thing about them, but it was enough to make the hairs on the back of my neck stand straight. They were following us.

"Dad?" I breathed out.

"Turn here!" Dad said, taking us off the path we were suppose to follow for the race, dodging into an alley between two buildings.

"We should untie…" I began, too busy running to finish my sentence.

"No!" Dad tightened his grip on my shoulder, so much that it hurt. "I don't want us to get separated."

"But Dad!" I looked back. They were gaining on us. If we didn't do something, and fast, they would catch up to us.

I looked forward again and saw where Dad was leading us, "Dad, the light is green, we can't walk yet!"

"Trust." That one word was all he said.

Without looking left or right we plunged into the street. I heard a few car horns but we got to the other side without getting hit. I could tell from the complaints of the drivers our pursuers had done the same, also careless of the oncoming traffic. Dad's plan to get rid of them had failed. To top off all our tribulations, my legs were about ready to give out.

The footfalls were now right behind us. Knowing we couldn't outrun them Dad suddenly stopped and swung me around, placing himself between me and them. I squeezed my eyes shut, afraid of what I might see if I looked at them. I've had this feeling of irrational fear before, but it was much stronger this time.

_BANG!_

"DAD!" I cried out. Terrified. I was so terrified that I knew what the scene before me would be. All the red that would paint my vision. I had to though, I had to see it for myself, soI forced my eyes open.

"It's okay Fran," All I saw was my father's shirt before I was incased in a bear hug. A nice warm crushing bear hug.

"Dad?" I felt the tears ooze out of my eyes, and dribble down my face. If Dad wasn't hurt then…? I didn't see either of those two strangers. What happened? Did Dad…?

I recognized the shadow that fell across the sidewalk beside us.

"Damn it they got away."

Dad let go of me and I saw Reborn put away his gun. He gave us a small smile, and then said, "Consider that your prize."

I looked back and forth between the two. Trying to keep my voice from shaking I muttered, "Some prize."

I'm sure if I had asked Dad he would have said something along the lines of "Reborn just saved us from those creepy men!", making it sound as if the people who had been following us were the typical rapist, kidnapper, or something along the sorts. I knew better than that though.

Reborn pulled his fedora down to cover his face, "We should get back now, the race should almost be over."

Dad untied our legs, but he didn't let go of my shoulder. We walked a few blocks in silence, but finally I got curious and asked, "How did you know where to find us?"

"Did you not notice?" Reborn asked, looking up into the sky. Flying above our heads was an eagle. The majestic bird seemed to be circling us. "We were watching the race from the roof of the school, making sure no one cheated. When we saw you break from the path we at first assumed that was what you were doing."

"We?" I asked. Now that I thought about it, why out of all people had it been Reborn to come and save us?

"Colonnello, Lal Mirch, Skull," Reborn listed off the people, "And myself."

"Well we're very lucky you were." Dad said.

"Well when I saw that you were being followed I decided to see what was going on for myself." Reborn smiled down at me. "We at Namimori Middle School don't like it when people try to mess with our students."

Him saying that reminded me of the incident with the bus driver. What was going on? How was everyone involved? Ugh too many questions and not enough answers…

We got back to the school. It appeared Yamamoto and his dad came in first place for the red course, and Karrie and her parents came in first for the yellow course.

"Congratulations." I said, patting Yamamoto on the back. He didn't seem out of breath or anything, because in baseball you had to be fit to play well, and Yamamoto was superb at baseball.

"Thanks."

I turned around to talk to Dad but he was gone, and suspiciously enough so was Reborn. I would of investigated their disappearance but the PA system came on.

"It's lunch time now!" Byakuran's voice boomed. "Parents and teachers, we have a treat for you if you would be so kind as to head out to the back of the school. Students, you can pick up your fantastic lunch in the cafeteria like always."

Maybe that's where Dad went off to…

"Yamamoto, Fran! Let's go get lunch!" Futa ran over. He stopped though, when he realized Yamamoto was no longer there, "Where did he go?"

I stuffed my hands into my pockets as we headed inside the building with the rest of the brainwashed youth, "He's got a lunch date with Sleeping Beauty."

-6-6-6-

"Well this is sure different." Kyoko said as Ryohei and Tsuna spread out the checkered red and white tablecloth.

"I think it's stupid." Hana huffed as she applied a light coat of lip-gloss while looking at herself through a hand mirror.

"I think it's a fun idea." Chrome said, smiling shyly.

Ken snorted, "Well of course you would stupid girl."

"I just don't get why we have to eat lunch with you people…" Chikusa said while eyeing us with disdain.

"Oh don't mind him," Mukuro waved a hand at Chikusa, "The teacher took away his yo-yo in forth period and now he's acting like a grump."

"…" Hibari stood at the edge of our group. He seemed interested and then again uninterested in what we were doing.

"Mukuro, your smile is starting to scare me." Tsuna said, taking one step farther back.

"Sorry." The teen tried to stop smiling and failed, "I just think a picnic lunch under the sakura trees is an excellent idea."

"It's nice to see someone so enthusiastic." I-Pin said, though when he turned to her to respond, she got embarrassed and shuffled away from him.

"Yeah, sitting under the trees are nice, but why do we all have to eat together?" Lambo asked.

We all sighed, "Because Byakuran said so."

"Doesn't mean we have to listen to him." Ken growled.

"No, but more the merrier, right?" Haru said, snatching Chrome's arm and dragging her to the spot on the clothe where all the other girls were sitting.

"Sorry to bother you…"

We all turned around to see more of our friends.

"Basil there you are!" Futa jumped on the boy as soon as he was close enough.

"Sorry, thy was a little late getting to thee lunch line, and didn't know where thou had gone off to."

"Please come join us!" Kyoko called to Uni. The girl happily obliged, taking a seat between Hana and I-Pin. They all began talking. It was amazing how girls could do that.

I saw Longchamp with a group of girls, or some type of mammal at least, walking by to try and find a place to eat over by the track ring. My eyes searched the area, and they ended up falling onto the spot Belphegor and I had gone to the day we had skipped detention. Where was Bel…?

"I'll be back." I said, getting up just as Ryohei and Kyoko were opening up the picnic basket that was supposedly stuffed full enough to feed our large group.

"Where are you going?" Tsuna asked me as his wide brown eyes met mine.

"Bathroom." I lied.

"Okay, hurry back!" They called after me.

I had to find out what happened to Belphegor. I just had to. So the best place to look would be the back of the school. It didn't take long for me to get there. The wooden box was still up, but all the construction seemed to have stopped. There was a place to squeeze through the boards and I was headed there when someone grabbed the back of my shirt.

"And just where do you think you're going?"

I looked over my shoulder, "Hello Dino sensei."

"I wont let you sneak in there Fran." He said sternly, then smiled and said, "Why don't you go enjoy your lunch? I heard you have turkey sandwiches in there."

"Do you want to join us?" I asked him innocently, "I'm sure Hibari would be much happier if you did. At the moment he's just sitting on the outside of our group looking rather lonely."

Dino's expression wavered and I could feel him loosening his grip on me.

"Dino!" Skull walked over slapping his hand onto Dino's shoulder.

Dino sighed, "Go back to your lunch Fran."

With that he let me go and they both watched me as I headed back around the school. So the giant box has some security, so that's how they wanted to play…

I walked around to the other side of the school, hoping to get in at another angle, when I saw someone else spying on the comings and goings of the box.

"What are you doing?" I asked Shoichi.

The redhead jumped out of his skin, then turned to look at me, "You scared me."

"No kidding." I said, joining him at the edge of the wall. "So what are you doing?"

"Byakuran is up to something strange," Shoichi said, his glasses slightly falling down his nose as he indicated the box with his chin, "I'm just curious."

"So you don't know what's going on either?" How disappointing.

"Nope." He heaved a sigh, "I work as an office TA during sixth period, but I didn't pick up a piece of information while eavesdropping."

"Have you seen Belphegor?" I asked him, my eyes searching the perimeter of the box for any clues that someone might have carelessly left behind.

"No, I haven't. I've only seen people go into the box, but so far no one has come out."

Odd.

"I guess we'll find out after lunch." I said giving into the idea of breaking into the box. Shoichi didn't look like he was going to move an inch so I tugged on his sleeve, "You should join us for lunch."

"Ah you're back, and you brought a friend!" Haru beamed at us. Her hairpin fell out of her and she scrambled to fix it.

Tsuna waved to Shoichi, "Glad you could join us."

"Yeah, there's so much food, there's no way we can eat it all by ourselves." Kyoko said, reaching into the basket to pull out some goodies for us.

I noticed Hibari had gotten closer since I was last there. He was feeding his little yellow pet bird chunks of bread from his sandwich. That guy was so strange. For someone who hated people he sure loved animals.

"You'll like it," Tsuna was saying to Shoichi, "It's a western style meal, and there's lots of fruit too."

"Ah!" Chrome looked down at her skirt where a bite of her watermelon had fallen. Her hands searched around for a paper towel.

"Here I've got it." Haru said, wetting her handkerchief from one of the water bottles, removing the piece of fruit from of Chrome's skirt, and dabbing the sport where it had landed. "I often baby-sit. Little kids are really messy, so I'm used to getting stains out before they set in."

Chrome blushed, "Th-thank you!"

"That's why I hate little kids." Hana huffed. Kyoko just giggled.

"So Ryohei, I saw you performing a play today, how did it go?" I asked him, making small talk.

"It was EXTREME!" He said, jumping up. He started kicking and punching the air, telling us the storyline. "And so I had to rescue her, saving her from the dark lord's evil clutches."

"So it was a fantasy play? Cool." Tsuna said.

"So did you get to kiss her?" Futa asked, he had really gotten into the retelling of the play.

Ryohei blinked, "Her?"

"The princess!"

"Oh, well yeah."

"Ooo," Kyoko poked her brother in the side.

Haru almost choked on her banana, "Uh Kyoko…"

"Did you make her blush?" Kyoko asked, teasing him some more.

"Her?" Ryohei asked, seeming confused. Well he was a very forgetful person, or so Kyoko tells us, maybe he already forgot…

"The princess!" Almost everyone shouted.

"Oh her?" Ryohei scratched the back of his head, seeming to get a little flustered, "Well Kimi was gone today, and she was the princess. So the only other person who knew all of her lines had to fill in for her, and that was Lussuria."

"…"

Kyoko looked at Haru, who seemed to shrink in size, "It was such a beautiful kiss… very passionate. Some of the parents even stood up crying."

Kyoko looked back at her big brother, who was still grinning. She smiled and threw her arms around him, "I'm so happy for you!"

"This place is full of nut jobs." Chikusa muttered under his breath.

"Thanks little sister!"

"Anyone else feel like they're watching an episode of 'Gays of Our Lives'?" Ken asked, but all he received were dirty looks.

Lunch progressed in the same carefree manner for the remainder of its time. It was hard to believe that just earlier today I had been afraid for my life. It was almost as if my life was a slapstick romance anime.

-6-6-6-

It was now finally time for the main event. Byakuran had us all gather around the wooden box as several helicopters came in and lifted the monstrosity reveling its heavily guarded secret. Our principle, always one for theatrics, had built a giant…

"Wooden block…"

"Oh no no my poor mistaken Frannie!" Some how Byakuran now appeared at my shoulder where only moments ago he had been standing atop a platform, "Why _this _is a steal structure painted to look like a wooden box!"

"Why would you do something as stupid as that?"

Our small group turned around to see Hayato and Yamamoto standing there. Both looked well, and their faces didn't show much shock. Most students by now were used to the strange occurrences here, at least the ones caused by the teachers.

"I questioned that too…"

Byakuran shot a glare at Dr. Shamal, whose comment he did not appreciate, then made his way back to the center of attention.

"So you're feeling better now?" A worried Tsuna asked, looking Hayato up and down.

"Yup, all better, no need to worry about me!"

"Glad you're okay, and you recovered just in time to see what's going on." Kyoko said, smiling at the two.

"My students I am happy to announce the completion of The Maze Tower, otherwise known as TMT, not to be confused with TNT-"

"Byakuran you're straying from the point." Fon whispered but his voice was loud enough for the microphone to pick up.

"Right." Byakuran cleared his throat, "You're all aware that your parents are not with you, yes? Well that's because they're inside the tower having a party. Why does this concern you? Well your challenge is to get them out of there before sunset," Byakuran smiled, "And if you don't whoever is inside the tower will be trapped inside forever!"

…

"Byakuran don't scare the children." Fon reprimanded the white-haired man.

"Okay fine that wont happen… ruin all my fun…" Byakuran huffed, "Whoever fails has to spend the weekend with us cleaning the school. Our janitor suddenly quit on us and this way the labor will be cheaper!"

"What?" A roar of voices shouted.

"You can't do this!"

"That's criminal!" Byakuran's violet eyes became half lidded and his smile seemed more alarming than usual, "On contrar, I am the principle after all."

"Byakuran has finally gone off the deep end." Hayato said shaking his head sadly.

"Oh, and one more thing, to get inside you need a key… a key that only has five duplicates." At that the principle tossed the keys into the crowd.

"Just great, now we'll never get them." I heard some boys say.

"What are we going to do?" Tsuna asked, his brown eyes wide.

What was Byakuran playing at? I scanned the mob of teenagers, watching as they ferociously fought over the keys in an attempt to save their weekend. My friends were talking in the background but I couldn't force my ears to listen. My eyes drifted to a less populated area when they landed on her.

"Patty…"

"Did you say something Fran?"

There was no mistaking the person, though she did look different than the last time I saw her. Her face was void of color, her eyes outlined by dark shadows, and her back was slightly hunched. I noted that she was still wearing the same outfit I last saw her in. There was defiantly something inhuman about her. I swallowed my breath. Her eyes met mine. It appeared that she was looking for me. I turned to run when across the way I saw one of the men from earlier today. I didn't have to look around to know that the other one was lurking close. It didn't seem like he had noticed me yet, but it would only be a matter of time. After all my hair was like a lighthouse at night in this swarm of natural colors.

My eyes flashed back. Patty was gone. I felt my heart beat faster, like it would rip out of my chest. I had to move NOW.

"Fran?" Tsuna called after me as I sprinted towards the tower.

Moving through the crowd wasn't as difficult as I thought it would be but that was a concern because it meant it would also be easy for my pursuers. I ran up onto the platform which Byakuran had disappeared from. I ran through a short tunnel inside the building to discover several doors on each wall. My hands flew to each knob, desperately tugging on them. None would budge.

Crap.

"Are you always going to need to rely on Belphegor to save you?"

"No of course not I-" I turned around to see Lal Mirch standing there. It was like she had read my thoughts of helplessness, "I-"

"Hey if you ask me it's not such a bad thing. Sometimes it's okay to ask for help. You can't carry the weight of the world on your shoulders, you're not Atlas."

"No… I'm not."

"He'll be here in .7 seconds." She said before vanishing back into the crowd as mysteriously as she had appeared.

I held my breath.

_Thwap_

A hand landed heavily on my shoulder. I made an unattractive sound and quickly turned around.

"I don't suppose you're trying to get inside, frog."

"Bel-"

"Lucky for you I swiped the original key from Byakuran while he was stuffing his face with marshmallows." He grinned.

I looked in his hand and there was the key. I grabbed it from him and inserted it into one of the doors.

"In a hurry are we?"

"I'm being followed." I said as I heard the click of the lock.

"By who?"

I flung open the door just as labored footsteps echoed around the room. Inside was pitch black. I looked at the entrance and sure enough there was Patty, the others not far behind.

"A woman? You're running from a girl?"

I grabbed Belphegor's collar and yanked him inside the room with me. I slammed the door behind us and was shocked to find that the door automatically locked once it was closed. My hand brushed against the wall fiddling for a light switch. When I finally did find one I flicked it on.

Oh God.

I rapidly flicked the lights back off and felt myself step closer to Bel.

"Did you see…" He trailed off.

"Yeah." It was too late to turn back now though, I thought as Patty's fist came down on the door.

I heard the soft sound of clothes being ruffled, a familiar swish of Bel drawing out his oddly curved knifes. I didn't have to see to know exactly what he looked like.

"Turn the light back on." He ordered and I did what he told me to.

The florescent lighting exposed the gaping hole in the floor. There was no path to the other side where the door was. We were close enough to the edge where I could peer over and see the bottom.

"Pillows." So Byakuran. "At least if we fall it wont hurt."

"You mean when we fall."

"Huh?" I felt a firm hand push my back and I was propelled forward and over the edge. My hair whipped about my face and my shirt flew up. When I hit the pillows I sank into them. I heard Belphegor's impact a few feet over. Why does it seem that I tend to land myself in a lot of holes? Does that say something about my life?

I looked over at Bel questionably.

"Just watch."

Oh I did. I watched him fall multiple times as he tried to stand up on the uneven surface. When he finally got to the wall he stabbed his knife into the dirt.

"I get it. You plan to make it so we can use your knives to climb up the wall." I stumbled over to him. "But do you have enough to make hand grips all the way to the top?" "Not today. Sqaulo confiscated most of the earlier so here's what we're going to do," He pulled out his knife, and with one in each hand, jumped. Skillfully he then removed one from the wall, supporting all of his weight on one knife, and lunged forward driving the other back in though higher up. He did this a couple of times before pulling both out and dropping back down. "Think you can do that?"

"Uh…"

-6-6-6-

"Okay Belphegor you've had your laugh, now what?" I asked after my fifth failed attempt. We had to face the fact that I didn't have the upper body strength for it.

"I guess I leave you in this hole."

…

"I suppose that's not an option. I'll have to climb up and then somehow get you up as well." He said, stepping closely to me. "Because you know Frogs don't belong underground."

…

"And my boyfriend belongs beside me."

My face turned pink.

"And dead bodies belong in cellars!" He added cheerfully.

"And semes belong on top, so get going."

"As you wish~" His hands slipped under my shirt and I shivered as the tips of his fingers brushed against my skin. He started to slide it up.

"That's not what I meant!" I said as I stood helpless.

"As much as I would love to make you scream amongst all these convenient pillows," Bel said as he tugged my shirt completely off me, "That's not what I'm trying to do."

I turned my back to him, "Then what _are _you doing?"

"I need to make a makeshift rope so I can use it to lift you out of the pit once I'm up."

Huh. That was actually a good idea. I turned around to tell him so and was flashed with his naked torso.

"Why are you taking off your shirt?" I slammed my face into the dirt wall. Wait a minute… why am I suddenly acting like a school girl?

"One shirt isn't going to cut it." He said nonchalantly.

I turned back around in time to see him unzip his pants zipper.

-6-6-6-

"Fran?"

"Fran are you alive?"

"You can wake up now."

"Frog."

"Quit playing dead we're wasting time."

"Well, I suppose if you're out cold… I can do this."

I was vaguely aware of my entire body being squished into something warm.

"I lo~~~"

I couldn't make out the voice.

My eyes opened up and my entire view was of Belphegor's hair.

"What happened?"

He pulled away and looked at me, or at least I assumed he looked at me, sometimes it was hard to tell. "You fainted which I find strange because we've taken a bath together before."

"Yes but I didn't see _that _in the bath." I said covering my face with my hand, "Bel, why aren't you wearing any underwear?"

"Do you really want to know?"

"…no…"

"Good, then we should get going." He stood up.

I looked back at the pit and did some simple math in my head. I frowned. "Hey Bel, to get out of the hole it would have taken more than just our shirts and your pants wouldn't it?"

"Of course, it took your pants too." He smirked, "By the way nice frog boxers."

…

"…my dad bought them…"

He laughed, "Sure he did."

"At least I was wearing underwear."

"I wish you hadn't been." "Pervert."

"Hey, I'm not the one that did the groping."

I squinted at him, "What do you mean by that?"

"Well I had to pull you up while I was naked didn't I?"

…

"While you were out cold you grabbed my-"

"I'm not listening!" I shoved my fingers into my ears. I could see him laughing. He pulled my hands away from my head.

"I was joking."

"Which part?"

"All of it. I helped Byakuran build almost all of the traps in here, like this one, and I knew of the secret way of getting out. Unfortunately Byakuran made it so I couldn't tell anyone, or show them, but when you passed out it made things easier. Besides our clothing would have never been long enough."

"But you're telling me now."

"That's because I'm not afraid of his threats."

"Then why did you put me through all that?" I watched as his lips curled into a smile, "Thanks."

He offered me a hand, "We better hurry up, we're running out of time."

-6-6-6-

We started up a flight of stairs when I abruptly stopped myself, "Hey Bel… if you lied about taking off my pants… then how did you know I was wearing frog boxers?"

He looked down at me for he was a few steps ahead and smirked, "Actually, that was a lucky guess. It surprised me too when you confirmed it."

"…" Dad was a dead man as soon as I found him.

-6-6-6-

"Why are we stopping?"

Belphegor hushed me with a flick of his hand. My eyes scrutinized the surrounding area. I hadn't thought the room we had just entered was anything out of the ordinary thought I could have said that about the last two rooms which turned out to be filled with sparks and spikes, not to mention the pillar of flame. It was like the school was trying to kill us or something… The room we were in now was just a square with white walls and a door at the end. It made me question what Belphegor was looking at.

"I don't know this room,"

"So?"

He didn't say anything so I poked him in the face. When he didn't immediately stab me with one of his knives I knew he was lost in deep thought. "What is it? What's wrong?"

"When I helped Byakuran go over the floor plans for this place, and when we set out all the traps, I never once saw this room." Belphegor glanced back at me, "Meaning that conniving principle kept secrets from me."

"Well we can wing it then." I said, strolling into the room as if it were my bedroom and I knew every inch of the place. Nothing happened.

"Shishishi, I didn't think you were a careless person."

"I'm dating you aren't I?"

"Touché."

When we stuck our necks through the doorway all we saw was a long narrow hallway, obviously filled with booby traps galore. I think we both recognized the necessity of a plan before entering.

_Click_

"Did you…?"

"Hear that?"

I looked down at my feet where a tiny patch of the floor was sunken in and on top of it was my foot. In the following seconds we heard a loud _thud _and felt the entire room vibrate. The floors shuddered beneath our feet and we were propelled slightly forward. We both caught our balance and a mutual thought was shared between us. RUN!

"You idiot! Look what you've done." Belphegor yelled at me, his golden locks were flying behind him. He sounded mad, but when I looked over he had a grin plastered on his face and his amethyst eyes were alight with mischief and excitement.

I bit back a smile of my own and instead retorted, "It's not my fault Byakuran is a fan of Indiana Jones."

"Who?"

"You need to get out of your castle more."

It all happened in a few seconds, like most significant moments. We were about halfway when I tripped. I fell flat on my face causing myself to become dizzy. I glimpsed at my feel and saw a clear string wrapped around my legs, then I noticed the other half falling lazily to the floor. It must have been what tripped me, and Belphegor who had been ahead of me, must have somehow missed it. I felt more than saw the giant ball nearing me, and I sensed my impending doom. I looked back and immediately regretted it, I was about to be pancaked by a glorified bowling ball, so this is what it feels like to be a pin. I felt a sharp tug on the back of my shirt and was jerked to a standing position.

"What have I told you about being stupid and not moving when you should?" Belphegor snapped at me, tugging me along like a kite in the breeze.

"I don't recall, which might have something to do with the concussion I received during that time."

"And whose fault was that?"

I paused, pretending to contemplate the question, "Yours I believe."

Bel only snorted at that.

We took a sharp turn, and just in time too, because in the next instant the ball came crashing against the wall. "Could you let me down now? I think I'm losing feeling in my body."

At first I didn't think he heard me but then he dropped me onto the ground. I stood up and brushed my self off. "Well that was a close call."

Bel gave me an astonished look, "You lack common sense."

"Well you lack self control."

He smiled, not denying it. If anything at least he wasn't a liar. His lopsided grin grew wider as he said, "We make a lovely pair don't we."

I faked a gasp, "I think you're blushing."

"Don't make me kill you."

"Love you too sweetie~"

-6-6-6-

"Do you hear that sound?" Belphegor asked me.

"Nope," I replied while shuffling along beside him, "Only the voices in my head."

We both stopped walking and listened. It took a minute, but after awhile I could hear a deep jingling sound. It reminded me of a horror movie Dad once made me watch. In it a prison convict had escaped and was killing all the people on the jury that had sent him to prison. When his victims were about to die we would hear the sound of his chains scraping along the floor. That was the sound Bel and I could now faintly hear.

"Where do you think it's coming from?" I asked. We had gone up another flight of stair and had just stepped onto the landing. There wasn't much behind us, there was only forward.

"I don't know. It would make sense if we ran into other people considering there were more keys," Bel said as we forged ahead, "But any case we should keep our eyes peeled."

"Yes Sir!"

We passed by a room that was painted blue and entered a room that was entirely yellow. On it's two walls were sets of window, but on the other side of the glass there was only a picture of the sky. We left the place quickly and encountered our fifth crossroad. We went left like we had all the other times so if we got lost we could retrace our steps.

"You know…" I drawled, "For this being a maze it's not very maze like."

"Hm."

We could still hear the sound faintly in the background, so whatever was making it had to be following us. We encountered several more traps, but they appeared far less threatening than the previous ones. I often wondered what time it was but because of my lack of a watch I never knew.

"I'm tired," I said stopping for a moment to rest. I had a strong desire to rest my back against a wall, but considering all the traps we had run across so far, I thought better of the idea.

"We should be getting closer to the top." Byakuran mumbled as he examined the doorway we needed to pass through.

"Can we rest here for awhile?"

He looked back at me, "Che, you're pathetic."

He said that, but he sat down on the floor. Happy that he didn't throw any knives at me this time for asking I joined him on the cold tiles. We sat there in silence. It was very peaceful without our bickering. My mind began to explore my thoughts and the memory of today's PE resurfaced. I needed to tell Bel about it.

"Hey frog, I've been meaning to ask you…" He frowned, "Listen to me when I'm talking to you!"

"Sorry what?" I snapped to attention.

"That lady who was following you earlier… didn't she look a lot like that bus driver?"

I swallowed my breath, "Yeah, that's because she was, though I don't think she's Patty."

"Patty?"

"The bus driver."

"Really, then-" Bel cut himself off as the noise we had become accustom to suddenly became a horrendous sound buzzing in our ears. Whatever had to be making it was just beyond the door we had last come from. I couldn't help myself, like an instinct I wasn't aware of, my left had shot out and grabbed for Belphegor. I felt the fabric of his shirt between my fingers and dug my nails into it. Like out of some horror movie the door handle turned slowly. My breath caught in my throat. This was it!

Later on I would recall that when we had opened the door before it had never made such a sound.

I turned my face towards Bel, not able to face what was to come. I could sense him pulling out a knife, reading himself.

"Ah, Fran and Belphegor!"

I felt myself exhale at the familiar sound of Tsuna's voice. It had been awhile since I had heard anyone's but ours. I turned my head and almost had a heart attack at the sight.

Tsuna laughed nervously, "Spanner thought it would be best to bring his Moska because of all the traps in here."

"Spanner?" I heard Bel's voice ask.

"Hello," Spanner waved from behind his robot.

The robot entered the room by busting through the doorway, sending debris everywhere. Tsuna smiled down at me, though he looked concerned, "Fran are you okay?"

Bel snickered.

"Yeah I'm fine." I said, finally able to stand up. "So how did you guys get in?"

"Spanner used the Moska to break into the building." Tsuna beamed. "It was actually pretty amazing, though it was a little scary hearing Byakuran screaming 'traitor'."

"I bet."

Spanner had some type of laptop out and was rapidly hitting the keys. He looked up and caught my eye.

"What are you doing?" I asked him after being caught staring.

"I have the blueprints to the building. According to these plans after this door there is a flight of stairs and then we should be at the top where everyone's parents are located."

"Great then let's get going!" Tsuna cheered.

About time we got out of this damn maze.

-6-6-6-

"Aw, but why do I have to leave the party so soon?"

"Come on Dad! We don't have time for this." I said, trying to drag the grown man away.

He pouted, "But Frannie~"

"We're having guests over tonight, or did you forget?"

"Oh yeah! In that case let's get going!" He surged forward at a brisk pace.

I sighed.

Parents.

"Hey look there's a slide over there." Tsuna, who had succeeded in finding his mom, pointed over to a fake window, "It looks like that would be the quickest way down."

We all walked over to it. The slide was built into the fake window and seemed to curve around the building.

"But we don't know where it leads…" I said cautiously.

"Only one way to find out!" Bel said before giving my back a rough push. The second one today, and I fell onto the slide immediately falling down the red plastic. I turned around to insult him when a strong pair of arms grabbed my waist.

"Did you think I was going to let you go by yourself?" He asked before kissing the tip of my nose while my head was still turned. "We don't know what's down there, it could be dangerous."

"Anything with you is dangerous." I reminded him.

"Ah but you know you love it."

I blinked at him and couldn't help but smile.

-6-6-6-

"Congratulations you've made it out of The Maze Tower!" Byakuran shouted at us as soon as we walked into sunlight. It turned out that the slide led to a hall, and the hall led to a one way door to the outside. Confetti was thrown at us making me look like pistachio ice-cream covered with sprinkles.

Dad cheered along with them, not realizing the pain we had to go through to get to him. Our white-haired principle no longer seemed mad about the hole in his tower because he congratulated Tsuna and Spanner as well.

The carefree attitude I felt slipped away when I felt a sudden impending doom. I looked around but didn't see any of the menacing figures from before.

Then what was it that I was sensing?

I vaguely registered Dad's singsong voice in the background, "Now it's time for barbeque, barbeque time, cooking all night long~"

Ah, that was it.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **So sorry it's taking me so long to write. School keeps me busy. I had to give a speech the other day and it went well, but I was very stressed about it. Anyways I decided to post this so you guys wouldn't kill me. O.o I'll have to write the dinner party in the next chapter. :D I hope you all liked it. It didn't turn out like how I pictured it, it was more serious, and I'm okay with that because it ties into the main plot. I still hope you thought some parts were funny!

I've actually had kids take pictures of my van before outside of the school with their cell phones. My sister had gotten out of the van, and I went to shut the sliding door behind her, and I guess I didn't know my own strength because I pulled the entire thing off! It was awful. O.o Then a bunch of guys came over to help, and that was the worst part! xD So I kind of know how Fran felt when he got to school…

Ah Byakuran and his crazy ideas… ^-^

Oh so I recently made FonxByakuran wallies for** Anime Portal - theOtaku****, **and soon I will post them. So if anyone has an account and wants to be my friend on that site my name is Kallavona, it's kind of my alias for all creative things that I do.

Oh, and did anyone catch the title and where it's from? xD I couldn't help myself it fit so perfecty!

Anyways I love you guys, thanks for reading, and see you all in the next chapter~


	12. If you Can't Stand the Heat

**Author's Note: **It's been awhile so if you don't remember what's happening you may need to refresh your memory. I apologize.

If you Can't Stand the Heat, Don't go into the Bedroom

"Okay so you're going to follow us out? When we get there just park behind me, there should be enough room for your truck."

I glanced out the window to where Dad was talking to Squalo and Xanxus. Right behind them was Lussuria who seemed to be enamored with the waning sun in the sky. It had been a long day, for me a not too pleasant one, but he seemed sad to see it end. Levi was no where to be seen but he was invited to the house as well, so I was sure to see him later. Belphegor had disappeared not long after I had stepped into the car. I vaguely recalled him saying something about needing to grab something, however when I had offered to go with him he had shot me down. Maybe, like me, he was being cautious…

"Hurry up," I muttered to myself, urging Dad to hurry up. My eyes fell to the other window. Outside of this one there was only a few lingering students and the principle's parked car. Not all the students had made it out yet and he was having to deal with the mess he had created. My attention turned back towards my driver.

I could hear his voice through the glass, "Oh don't worry I have some stored away! It's not too old but I'm sure it'll pack a punch."

I pressed the button to make my window roll down so I could insist on us departing already. It was almost a fourth of the way down when I noticed movement in my periphery vision. My eyes flashed to the front windshield. Only a hundred yards away stood Patty and the two men. I stared at them. They stared back. Instead of charging like I assumed they would they stood on watching intensely.

"See you in a few minutes then." Dad said as he got into the car. "Well wasn't today something? Frannie? What are you looking at?"

I blinked and slightly turned to him and when I glanced back they were gone. Dad started the engine and soon we were pulling away from the school. It grew smaller and smaller inside my mirror until the only thing I could see inside of it was the road.

"You seem a little distant," Dad commented offhandedly, "Is there something on your mind? If you're hungry we have those cupcakes in the back though I don't want you to spoil your dinner."

"Of course there's something on my mind!" I snapped at him and his carefree attitude. I knew getting angry wouldn't help so I relaxed in my seat and let my frustration exhale out of me along with my breath. Before he could say something, or make a joke of it, I said, "There is something not right. Strange things are happening and I know you know what I'm talking about, and we're not the only ones either. Those men earlier today aren't the first and I'm sure they wont be the last."

Our car suddenly swerved briefly, smashing me against the window. Dad momentarily glanced at me with a pale ghostly face, as if all the blood had been scared out of it, before regaining control of the wheel. He got the car going straight again, but when I looked down I noticed his knuckles were white against the leather. He was holding on too hard.

"You mean…" He stared to form a question but his voice just became a gurgling sound.

"I never got a chance to tell you…" I began, "But on the fieldtrip a lot of strange shit happened."

"Language." He warned me but his voice lacked an edge.

"Sorry," I apologized automatically, "A meteor fell onto the road our buses were taking so we had to go a different way. My bus had just turned around when a small landslide blocked the other buses from following. We had to find a land phone to call for help and we ended up heading to a small town out in the middle of nowhere. Patty, our bus driver got out to find a phone, and shortly afterwards the students saw something outside. It had gone under the bus so me and a few others went to see what it was."

"They made a student go?" Dad sounded appalled.

"I volunteered." I watched as his face fell into one of parental concern. "Nothing was under the bus we soon discovered, but then I looked up, and I saw this… _thing _inside the bus. However when I went back inside it wasn't there, and I later discovered that no one else saw a monster but a man."

"How strange…"

"That wasn't the end of it either. Byakuran and I went to look for Patty, we found her, but she acted a little strange. Some stuff happened and when I went back on the bus none of the other students besides Belphegor and I recalled what had happened there. Then the bus driver kept looking at me on the way home."

Dad just kept his eyes on the road.

I closed my eyes and titled my head back, "The strangest part of all was that there was not a single soul to be seen in the town. There was nobody. It was almost as if they had all gotten up and left… or something made them disappear."

"Wow that sounds like a good horror movie you got going there." He finally said, and even though he was joking, I felt that he wasn't playing.

"Dad I saw Patty today at school,"

I heard a cracking sound emanate from his hands and I couldn't tell whether it was his knuckles cracking from holding on too tightly, or the steering wheel breaking from all the pressure he was putting on it.

"She looked different." I said, though to me my voice sounded distant, as if I were underwater. "Before I couldn't think of how to describe it, but I've given it some thought and…"

"And?"

"It looked like she had removed her skin and when she went to put it back on forgot how it went. Dad it was as if someone else was wearing her skin. Though that wouldn't make sense because it didn't look like that when we were in that town, and that's when she first started acting odd… So why now? And those two guys, they didn't look like that but they were with her. I know they were. Dad, I saw them with Patty just outside the car at the school and they were watching me. Why me? What is it about me that attracts them? I swear I haven't done anything to make them come after. What kind of monsters are they?"

"Fran!"

I blinked at my fathers eyes. His hands were squeezing my shoulders and that's when I realized the car was stopped. We were home and Dad was already outside of the car. He had opened up my door, undone my seatbelt, and was looking at me anxiously.

"There, there," He said as he pulled me into a hug and gently stroked my hair like he used to when I was a younger. "Everything will be alright."

I wanted to tell him not to lie to me, but I just couldn't because I so badly wanted to believe him.

"Will you be okay with having guests over tonight?"

I nodded my head.

"Fran I need to talk to you later." I looked up at him when he said that. He continued, "What I mean is that we'll discuss this after our get-together tonight, if you can wait until then."

I didn't get a chance to reply for in the next moment Xanxus's truck pulled up and the party was on.

-6-6-6-

"Nice place you've got here." Squalo said after stepping out of the vehicle. I could tell he was just being nice though because everything was a shamble compared to the mansion he lived in. However I had to admit it was in a lot better shape than when we first got it. Dad had replaced the shutters, fixed up the door, and cleaned the yard of all the roof tiles. Then there was his work in progress garden that had livened up the front yard. It had become a sort of hobby for him.

"Ooo I'm so excited!" Lussuria cried as he whisked out a disposable camera from underneath his jacket, "We get to see where Fran lives~"

"Don't be a freak." Bel said, coming up behind the man and whacking him over the head.

The older man pouted, and then in defiance he turned to me with a sly grin and said, "Fran pout for me."

…

"Perfect!" He snapped a picture.

"Give me that camera!" Bel yelled while trying to snatch the object away.

"Hey Frannie," Dad's voiced forced my eyes away from the skirmish on the lawn to where he was standing by the open trunk of our car, "Could you give me a hand with these cupcakes?"

Levi's ears perked up, "Did you say cupcakes?" Dad looked over at him and grinned, "Why yes I did. They're covered in a white fluffy cream cheese frosting. The best part of all is that they're fresh, Fran and I made them in class today."

At the sound of my name Levi scowled and kicked the dirt. He mumbled, "Probably poisoned…"

I grabbed a tray of them and helped my father with the door. He shouted back at everyone that they were welcome inside.

Dad wanted to start the barbeque right away to appease Xanxus. My math teacher didn't seem too thrilled, but then again it was seldom that he ever wore a different expression. We still had a couple of boxes left to unpack and Dad knew the grill had to be in one of them so the first thing we did was hunt for it.

"I think I may have found it."

I looked over at the box he was standing over, "No, that's our two lawn chairs."

"What? Really?" Dad looked at it, examining the outside as if he had on a pair of x-ray vision glasses, "How can you tell?"

"I was the one that packed this box and I remember after I finished taping it up you bumped into it and spilled your hot chocolate all over the top."

Dad stared at me, "I wish you had that good of memory on your math tests."

"You and me both."

-6-6-6-

"Well kids it will be a little while until dinner is ready," Dad said as he put on his apron, "Frannie, why don't you show Belphegor your room?"

Whatever.

I nodded to Bel and he followed me back inside. When we finally reached my room I hesitated. A bedroom defines a person's inner most personality. It reveals things about the owner, what could take years of conversation to find out, in an instant. Allowing Bel to enter my room is the equivalent of welcoming him into my soul. Having him see my inner most private dwelling, my sanctuary, was not what concerned me. No, it was what he would see that worried me. I recalled the first time I had been in his room, how fancy and rich it was, and how arrogant it all seemed. It reeked of his personality, his motives, and his princely charms. What would my room reveal about my character?

"Are we going to go in?" Belphegor asked. Once he saw I wasn't going to give him an answer he pushed his way to my door and opened it. I watched mesmerized as the door fell back into my room, revealing to me my bed. I had forgotten to make it before I left for school this morning, then again I never make it. Lazy.

His head twisted and turned as he examined the contents of my personal abode, "So this is your room? I was expecting to see mutilated frog carcasses scattered about the place."

I looked at him feeling more pale than usual. Did he think I was as monstrous as him? I gave him a blank stare as I replied, "I may hate frogs and will loath them until the day I die, but not to the point where I would do something like that."

"If I hated something so much I wouldn't allow it to live any longer." He said with a sober voice.

I tried to suppress the chills that wanted to crawl up my spin, "You and I are not the same in that aspect."

"True," He said as he smiled at me, "Otherwise that would be weird."

I watched as Bel strolled over to my bed. The blankets on it were crumpled in a heap where splashes of black and green color stood out from my comforter. He glanced up to see the poster of the cat hanging on the branch. He asked, "Your inspiration to get up in the morning?"

"It's the only thing that keeps me going."

"Hm, really? Nothing else?"

I shook my head, "Nope."

"Not even this sexy blonde god standing before you?" He struck a pose that suggested he was all mighty, which as far as he was concerned, he was.

"No, as a matter of fact you do the opposite. You make me want to never leave my bed."

He was suddenly a lot closer, his breath was hot against my neck as he leaned towards me, "You know, that can be arranged."

I stared at him lost for a moment until I realized the implication of what he was saying, then my face turned red. Self-conscious about how little of space I had to myself I pushed him back a few feet. He had permitted me to do so, I know because if he hadn't then he could have put up much more of a resistance.

I turned to face my wall to wait for the red in my cheeks to cool down. It was a couple of seconds later when I heard Bel say, "I already knew what your room looked like and before you ask it's because I've already been in here."

"Liar." I said as I was now able to face him again.

I watched him intently as he removed my pillows from off my bed one by one until none were left. At first I saw nothing significant about what he had done until my eyes looked up from the empty spot on the bed to the wall above it. There, roughly sketched into the plaster was a capital B with a crudely drawn crown on top of it. To be perfectly honest I wasn't too surprised and oddly enough it didn't bother me as much as it should have. I asked him, "When did you do that?"

"Remember when I took your backpack?"

"You mean stole."

I couldn't see it but I could tell that he had rolled his eyes, "Well there was a key inside and-"

"Say no more." I said, interrupting him.

He looked back down at his handiwork and lightly traced it with his finger. After he was through with that he began the process of putting back all the pillows he had tossed.

"You don't have to do that you know. Have you seen my room? It's not very orderly for having so few of things." He didn't stop and so I asked him, "Did you do anything else while you were in my room?"

I got a long enough glimpse of his face to see the sly grin he was wearing.

"Well I don't normally welcome trespassers to make themselves at home, but in your case I'll make an exception." I said. Then I fixed my blankets so that we could both sit down on the bed. He didn't sit down with me so I gave him an invitation and indicated the empty space beside me.

For just a moment his expression softened and I knew that if I could see his eyes they would be unfocused.

"Belphegor, is something wrong?"

"No, quit the opposite." After those words left his lips his lips met mine. I hadn't been expecting the kiss so when he leaned into me I fell backwards.

"Mphf." I tried to speak but couldn't get a word out. For a moment the feeling was sensational, but then the need for oxygen was crucial. I tried to pull away as my lungs screamed for air. Bel pulled back finally but his lips were just mere centemeters away.

"What are you doing?"

"Relax," He said, the tone of his voice was calm and soothing. He brushed away the hairs that had fallen onto my face, and once they were tucked behind my head, he kissed my lips again.

My mined was frozen yet at the same time it was scattered about the universe. I was in China racing across the Great Wall. I was a bald eagle soaring across the wide blue skies over America. I was in France buying bread which I planned to eat while gazing at the Eifel Tower as its lights came on at night. The meteor shower that occurred never happened. I suddenly knew every letter of the Greek alphabet and I could write in Spanish. It seemed like the entire world was at my finger tips though I was frozen in the moment of the kiss like the first one we had shared. My legs dangled off the side of my bed as Bel pushed into me from above, trying to deepen the kiss. My body was wrapped in a blanket of warmth and comfort and I never wanted to leave it.

Bel pulled away and I realized I needed to breath. I looked up and saw his eyes looking back at mine. He smiled a cocky smile.

"What?"

"I enjoy leaving you breathless."

I went to rebut his statement when he kissed me again, though this time he caught me with my lips parted, and before I realized what was happening my mouth was being ravaged by his tongue. I struggled against him, trying to pull back, but he wouldn't let me. At first I was disgusted at the sensation of something wet and slimy in my mouth. Then I felt the warmth of it and noticed how it caressed my tongue. What happened next I couldn't help. The thing was I found myself enjoying it and before I knew it my fingers were wrapped inside his golden locks pulling him closer. We shared a handful more of those kind of kisses until I really was out of breath. When he pulled back a string of saliva connected us together.

Bel didn't waste time before his kisses trailed to my neck. There his angel like kisses turned to demonic bites and nibbles.

"What are you doing?" I ask as I tried to sit up but to no avail.

Between kisses and bites he replied, "I'm leaving my mark on you."

"Not there!" I said and tried to cover the spot. However my hand was intercepted by one of Bel's. "If you leave a bruise there it will be noticeable."

"So?" He asked before chomping down on my flesh.

"Belphegore!" I cried out through clenched teeth. My arms shot up and around him and my nails dug into his back. "That hurt."

I felt his tongue run over the teeth marks that he had left imprinted in my skin. He pulled back for a moment to inspect how well of a job he had done. Before I could ask him how bad it looked his mouth was over mine again which was fine by me because I had begun to miss the taste of him.

Without warning Bel picked me up, and it all happened so fast, but the next thing I knew I was straddling Bel's lap as he leaned against the wall. I felt my face light up and I tried to abandon my new position.

"Not so fast," He said as he grabbed my waist so I couldn't flee, "Just where do you think you're going?"

"This is embarrassing." I said as I looked anywhere but his face.

"Heh." He scoffed sarcastically, "And some people think you're apathetic."

"Bel…"

I felt his hands wrap around the back of my knees and all at once I was jerked forward. I blinked. We were now nose to nose, chest to chest, and…

"!"

I felt like my face was going to explode from the amount of blushing I was doing.

"Is something the matter?" Bel teased.

I opened my mouth to speak but nothing came out and instead I found myself attacking the soft flesh that was Bel's lips. He kissed me back just as ferociously. I was so lost in the battle between our mouths that I had become painfully unaware of everything else. In a flash Bel's hands were on my hips, bringing me closer to him, and in the next those same hands were grinding my crotch against his. I couldn't help but gasp and moan at the contact.

"Ah! Bel… stop…"

"But I don't want to," He said as he was stopping, "I love hearing you make those noises."

I tried to pull away so I could cool down but his arms weren't eager on letting me go. Since I couldn't go anywhere and I looked like a royal flush, I did the next best thing and buried my face into his shirt.

"Guess I went too far, huh?" Bel mumbled as he drew circles on my back with his palm.

As embarrassed as I was I didn't want to give him the wrong impression… but still…

"What was that?" He asked me after I spoke.

I pulled away and looked directly at him, "I said you weren't the only one who was enjoying themselves."

"Really now?" His cocky expression returned, "So does that mean you're up for round two?"

"Bel no!"

"Oh Frannie, Belphegor~" Dad slammed open my door with an overpowering enthusiasm. I looked at him horrified. I had thought for sure that Belphegor would have tossed me to the other side of the bed the moment my dad had called out. Instead Bel held onto me tighter, almost in defiance, as he casually looked over at the intruder.

I was almost 100% positive Dad would over react and attempt to kill Bel, anything to protect his precious son. After all if he freaked out about me skipping school I couldn't imagine the level of his anger after seeing us in this compromising position.

"You should come down stairs!" Dad went on, "We've got the meat cooking on the grill now but it wont be a party unless we're all there."

With that my father bounced out of the doorway and headed back the way he came.

The hairs on my neck stood up and I jumped off my boyfriend to yell out the door, "Thanks a lot Dad! It's great to know that if I was ever being raped my father would rescue me by asking my attacker to a fucking tea party."

"Fran!" Father gasped at me, "Don't use such foul words."

"Besides," Bel said, coming up alongside me and kissing my cheek, "I'm the only one allowed to do something like that with you, and it wouldn't be rape, it would be consensual."

-6-6-6-

"I must admit your father's lack of concern is concerning." Bel said as we sat outside watching Xanxus dance around Squalo as the silver haired man flipped the steaks. "At this rate any bozos could walk in here and kidnap you and then force you into awkward situations."

"That would be you."

Ignoring me he muttered, "Maybe I should put up security cameras in your room just to be on the safe side."

"Pervert." I looked over at the eavesdropping science teacher which I was aware of, "Sorry I didn't mean you this time Levi."

"Grrrrrrr." He stood up about to yell but we both saw a flash of light, most likely from a blade, and he sat down. I looked over at Bel but he didn't have any of his out, and I saw Sqaulo was busy cooking so it couldn't have been his sword…

"You're not going to get us kicked out." I heard Xanxus's voice and saw him standing over Levi threateningly with a steak knife. I guess he really wanted that steak…

"Oh Fran!" Lussuria came up to me holding a very familiar object. "Your father was showing me your photo albums of when you were younger. My you were so adorable! Not to say that you aren't still adorable!"

Dad…

"Look Belphegor, wasn't he SO cute! I could just eat him up!"

"That's my job." Bel snapped.

"Pedophile."

"What did you say Fran?" Lussuria smiled at me.

"Nothing."

Lussuria turned back to Bel and shoved the album in his face, "See what I mean?"

I couldn't see the picture so I watched Bel's reaction as his face went from blank to a 100 watt smile in seconds. Curious I walked behind him to see which picture of me it was. I prayed it wasn't the one of me in the bathtub. Why do parents take pictures of their kids knowing full well that they could be the very thing that scars them for life? Or embarrasses them to death. I looked at the picture.

Oh, that one.

…

…

"Dad you're dead to me."

"Lighten up Frannie!"

"See I told you he was adorable!"

"He really is a frog!"

"Steak."

"Give me a minute they're not done yet."

Some days… just some days…

"Oh and here's a picture of Fran in the bathtub!"

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **I'm so sorry it's taken me forever and it's so short. School has kept me so busy I feel like I've been running around in circles. _ Good news though, summer vacation is just around the corner for me and I'm not going to work on any other stories until this one gets done which means I can lock myself in my room for hours writing! :D

This time it's so short because I wanted to end the chapter there, plain and simple. I was hoping you wouldn't mind too much because the relationship between Fran and Belphegor is heating up. ~.^ Or at least in my opinion it was, I'm not sure what you guys think. xD


	13. I've Heard of Dine and Dash Before but

I've Heard of Dine and Dash Before but this is Ridiculous 

"Give it to me."

"Nuh uh!"

"Lussuria!" I held out my hand, palm flatter then a washing board. "Give me the photo album."

The man backed up more, his boots digging into the grass, "If you want this you'll have to pry it out of my cold dead hands."

"Well if you would just hold still." Bel said while coming in from the other side.

While Bel and Lussuria got into a heated knife throwing fit where Bel would throw knives and Lussuria would try to dodge, I turned to dad, "Do you see this? This is what I have to live with."

"Haha, isn't it wonderful?" He asked as he watched Squalo flip one of the steaks, its meaty juices sizzled as he did so.

Dad, obviously not getting the point and or ignoring the chaos in his backyard, was going to be of no help to me. I turned back to the two who were bickering only to discover an opening. Bingo! Lussuria was fending off knives with one of his arms that left his other one, the one with the album, wide open. Bel was keeping the drama teacher so preoccupied that he didn't even notice me until my hand was on the object of my desire.

"No Fran!" He gasped as I ripped it away in triumph.

Bel swiped a knife over Lussuria's head, "Teach you not to mess with other people's stuff."

Wide-eyed Lussuria looked down at the ground where a good chunk of his hair now laid. He looked like he was on the verge of tears when he cried out, "Belphegor! I never knew you cared so much for me! How did you know I needed a haircut?" Now I don't have to get an appointment for a trim!"

"Ugh let go you freak." Bel said as he tried to push the older man off him who was hugging the blonde gratefully. "Fran get him off."

"Not my problem." I said as I headed inside the house.

"Frog!"

Now that the baby pictures were out of Lussuria's hands and safely tucked away I was free to enjoy the party. I hid them in a place no one here would think to look, on a bookshelf with other books. Sometimes the best place to hide something is in plane sight. Right? I went to use the restroom real quick and as I was washing my hands I heard a rustle of cloths. I looked up and standing in the mirror behind me was-

"Belphegor, what are you doing in here?"

"You were taking too long."

"I had to use the restroom." I said as I dried my hands on the hand towel.

He shrugged, "Just a few minutes alone with them can drive a person crazy, and I should know, I live with them."

"Well we should head back now." I said as I made a move for the door.

"What's the rush?" He asked, grabbing my shoulders and halting my process. He steered me backwards until the counter was pressing into my lower back. His hands found their way around my neck, where his thumbs lightly brushed against my jaw. Then he leaned down and placed a kiss on my lips. His hands eventually moved down to my sides where they began to crawl up my shirt, tickling my skin as they went. For the most part I was off in my own little world, registering touch, but not much else.

"Most guys are not sensitive here, but because it's you, I have a feeling you might be different." He murmured, his voice licking my ear. I was going to question him on what he meant but was answered before I could as his lissome fingers began to knead both of my nipples expertly. I fidgeted and gasped as the tip of my nerve endings was assaulted. With one quick motion he jerked my shirt off, making my nipples become firm in the colder air, which enticed Bel to continue.

He snickered, "Like that do you?"

I shook my head "no" at the same time as a small moan escaped my mouth.

"Bel, you shouldn't." I said, my voice raising an octave near the end as he sped up the pace of his rubbing. Before I could stopped him he moved one of his hands away and replaced it with his lips. At first he brushed his tongue over it, and as if my sharp intake of breath was his signal, he began to suck. I felt extremely hot as I felt my face heat up.

"Ah!" I gasped. My fingers curled around the edge on the counter as my legs twitched.

He looked up at me grinning, my pink flesh displayed nicely between his teeth where he had bitten down a little too hard. "Sorry did that hurt? It's just I couldn't help myself, you're so tasty, and your blood drives me wild."

"I'm bleeding?"

His tongue flickered out again and I watched as he licked up a bead of red.

"Not anymore." He kissed me again but this time with more passion.

It was as if what he said was true, and my blood had provoked the wild animal inside of him. His kisses had more force behind them. His hands moved frantically. There was pushing, pulling, and grabbing. It was like being on a rollercoaster, and I had to admit I was enjoying the ride, though still conscious of the other guests outside.

Bel broke away from my embrace, twisted me around, and bent me over the wooden countertop that enclosed the sink.

"What are you doing?" I hissed at him as my pants were tugged down. Panic swept over me. "Bel I'm not ready for sex!"

"Calm down." He laughed, his sultry voice made him sound much older, "I wasn't going to take it that far."

He said that, but he had no qualms about tugging my boxers down so that they hung around my ankles. I felt so exposed! Hell, I was exposed.

"Ngh," I almost jumped out of my skin as he leaned against me, kissing the back of my neck as his entire body pressed against me. I tried to ignore the fact that he could see all of me. Everything. But it wasn't like he was looking there, yet.

I felt his hands cup my butt and my face turned red instantly, "Why now?"

"Hm?"

"Why are you doing this now?" My body shivered as he ran a hand up my back, tracing the path of my spine.

"I can't help it, the longer I'm near you, the more I crave." He said as his other hand's index finger brushed against the opening at the lower end of my alimentary canal.

"Stop that's gross." I told him but made no move to stop him myself.

He stroked it again in defiance, "But you're beautiful."

"I thought I was an un-cute kohai."

He only laughed.

"Hey Belphegor, do you love me?" I asked as I stared at him through the mirror then added nervously, "I mean what is love anyways?"

I watched, waiting for his reaction.

He sighed and backed off. I turned around to ask him what was wrong when he handed me my discarded shirt. He chuckled at my current expression, ruffled my hair, kissed my forehead and said, "Not sure. I figure you have to go through Hell for someone, and only once you come back can you truly say you love them, because you wanted them so badly that not even death could stop you."

After saying that he grabbed the doorknob and prepared to leave, "Even if it's not sex I should wait until I've seen this hell, to acquire this true love, before doing any kind of activities with you. It's the least you deserve."

I blinked at him as he gave me his trademark grin before saying, "Now don't get me wrong, I'm only waiting on hell, for surely the intense longing is already there."

With that, the door closed behind him.

"What about sex?" I heard Levi's muffled voice coming from somewhere in the hallway. He must have picked up on the word.

"You ain't getting any." Bel retorted.

I watched the space he used to occupy, still in shock at how he had left. When had Belphegor turned into such a gentlemen? Then again, he did ambush me while I was in the bathroom, and I thought I had locked the door too. Maybe the dumb thing was broken. I sighed into my shirt and then couldn't help but smile. Maybe my fake Prince wasn't so fake after all.

-6-6-6-

"Ah that was delicious Squalo." Lussuria cheered as he finished off his meat.

"Yes it was quit excellent." Xanxus said. I glanced at him and couldn't look away because it wasn't often I got to see that huge of a smile on his face. Now his huge smile was an average person's normal smile, but for my math teacher this was a large display of happiness.

I looked down at my own plate, clean of any scraps, and pushed it away from me, "I must say I think that was one of the few homemade meals I've eat in this house that wasn't burnt."

"Frannie!" Dad looked a little hurt, but then perked up as he remembered something. "Who wants a cupcake?"

"I do." A round of voices called.

Dad stood up from his seat, "Okay, let me go grab them."

Xanxus took a sip of his red wine, something Dad had broken out for the occasion, and then said, "Hey Squalo, did you happen to see what was in the neighbor's backyard?"

The other man had to think about it for a moment, "You mean the hot tub?"

Dad came back into the room with a red velvet cupcake for everyone. I peeled the paper off mine and took a hearty bite. Eating it made me think of mom and how much I missed her.

"Hey Fran,"

I turned to Belphegor who had called my name.

"You have a little something, right… here!" He said before licking the corner of my mouth. "This frosting is very yummy."

"Thank you!" Dad said turning around to look at us having missed Bel's tongue's little escapade across my face.

I looked down allowing my hair to act as a curtain. I couldn't let Dad see how red my face was. Bel had brought back the memories of my little fantasy trip during school hours and I didn't want Dad to comment on how red I had become.

"Well I-" Dad was interrupted by the phone ringing. "Excuse me a moment."

Five pairs of eyes followed him as he left the room.

"So, did you notice the conditions of their driveway?" Xanxus inquired, picking up on his previous conversation.

Squalo gave him a peculiar look before replying, "Well no, other than the fact that there were no cars parked there."

"Yes…" Xanxus swished the liquid in his glass around, "I also happened to note that they had no garage which leads me to think that no one is home."

"Oh?" Squalo nodded, "That's interesting."

"Sorry about that." Father said as he returned, "I'm afraid there was an accident at work and all available staff has been called in so I'm afraid I have to leave."

"Dad!"

He looked over at me and the sudden worry I must have displayed.

"I shouldn't leave Fran alone…" He muttered, "Would you-"

"I'll baby-sit! " Lussuria said jumping up, almost knocking his plate onto the floor, and waving his hands wildly about.

"Oh really?" Dad beamed. "Thank you so much!"

"We will also look after Fran." Xanxus said, indicating Squalo and himself.

"Right then, all of you feel free to stay. Sorry I have to run now, hopefully I'll be back soon." That last part was directed at me. With that, he grabbed his coat and left the house in a dash.

Only a second has passed before Levi said, "Well I'm not staying in this dump."

"Fine, then you can walk home." Squalo said his voice as unwavering as brick wall.

Levi tried to read his face, to see if the white-haired man had been joking. When he decided he wasn't he got up and said, "…fine."

Another member of our party was gone. I wasn't sad to see Levi go.

"Well Lussuria have fun babysitting." Xanxus and Squalo said as they made their way to the backdoor.

"Where are you two going?" Lussuria called after them.

"There's a hot tub next-door with our name on it." Xanxus said as way of explanation.

Lussuria's eyebrows shot up into his hairline, "But there is no way your names are on it."

"There will be when I get through with it." Squalo said as he pulled out his sword and grasped the hilt tightly.

Holy shit where did that guy pull it out from? He was a master of concealing his weapons like Belphegor was! I watched their figures jump over our neighbor's small picket fence, trampling over their daises in the process, and march right up to the item of relaxation that they sought after.

"Well you two, want to play a game?"

"Yeah!" Belphegor nodded eagerly at Lussuria.

"Oh really? What game?" The older man leaned across the table, excited to hear.

"It's called leave us the hell alone or else tomorrow's street cleaners will find your scattered remains all across the road and will think it's pulled pork from the condition I would leave you in."

"No need to be mean about it," Lussuria pouted, but got the message. He turned to me, "Hey Fran, do you have a computer I can use? I'd like to listen to some music Ryohei gave me."

"Yeah sure, it's upstairs. The password is-" I hesitated, "myfrannieisultracute00, all lowercase."

"Thanks." He said and headed upstairs.

"You should be nicer to him."

"I am," Bel said with such an honest face, "Just not around you because he acts too friendly with you."

"That's just the way he is."

"I know, doesn't mean I have to put up with it."

After he said that Bel pulled his chair closer so that our legs were touching. He placed his elbow on the table, his crown slid to the side of his head, and he moved my hair away from my eyes. "You know… I told you what I thought love was but you never told me what you think it is."

"Nothing could top your opinion."

"Of course not, but try and give me a definition anyways."

I had thought about love, often. The definition of love huh? I wasn't sure. The dictionary has a handful of meanings for the one word. Love is wanting to be near someone. It's wanting to protect that person and it's wanting to be protected. A guy once came to my school and said that love was choosing the highest good for the other person, but how do you tell what that higher good is? Love is… love is…

"Love is the confidence you have in someone, knowing that they are there for you, and knowing that you would be there for them. Love is support and what carries you through. True love, true love is just something that happens without you knowing because when you first say that you love the person it surprises you too, but in the end you realize you felt that way all along."

"Love sounds complicated."

"Yeah."

Bel kissed my hand then stood up, "I'll be right back, I'm going to make sure Lussuria didn't sneak into your room and start doing weird stuff."

I wasn't sure if Bel could talk, but let him go anyways.

As I sat by myself in the dining room I became alarmingly aware of how quiet it was. Not even twenty minutes ago the place was loud with bickering and laughter. The house seemed empty now. This must be the feeling housewives get when there kids go off to school for the very first time. If I focused my ears I could hear the clock in the living room tick and if I tried really hard I could hear the bubbles being produced by the hot tub. With a sigh I slumped in my chair feeling a sense of cold icy defeat. The tablecloth was red with a golden trim and some embroidery along the edges. It was the nicest one we had. I started to trace the pattern with my finger. Not soon after I heard soft footsteps and jerked my head up.

"Hey it's just me, no need to have a heart attack." Bel said when he saw my eyes, they must have looked as big and round as they felt. His smile went away quickly and he joined me once again at the table. Without hesitation he wrapped an arm around my shoulders in a comforting manner. He must have sensed my distress.

"Hey Belphegor," I looked up at him with an intense gaze and I could feel my heart racing, "I'm scared…"

"What do you have to be scared about, after all I'm here aren't I?"

"Yeah but…" I mumbled. I hadn't said anything to him yet. In fact I had been lying to myself about the whole thing. It's pretty silly, trying to lie to myself that is. It's an impossible task, right? I mean there's no way I can keep thoughts from myself and sometimes those thoughts manifest themselves into all my thoughts. The truth was… I had been thinking about _them_. Every moment, every thought, and with every heartbeat. _B-dump B-dump B-dump _No matter what _they _were on my mind.

_CRASH_

We stood quickly and turned around. The loud shattering sound was accompanied by the horror I saw as the living room window turned into tiny shards of glass that fell all over the coach and surrounding carpet. This terrifying scene replayed in my mind like when the bus crashed. It was this heart gripping fear all over again. What came next I had been expecting, nope I wasn't surprised at all, but my knees still almost gave out when they appeared. Standing outside was Patty and her two goons. Their bodies were as twisted and as putrid as ever. Even from across the room I could see that Patty's "condition" had gotten worse. It was as if her skin was now melting off her bones, her nails were turned yellow, and her teeth look like they had slid down her face a couple of centimeters.

"What the hell?" Bel's surprised expression turned into a contorted one, revealing his anger. "How dare you mess with my boyfriend's house. Only I can commit the crime of breaking and entering in here."

They didn't even blink, let alone flinch, at what Bel had said. Feeling vulnerable to their fearless eyes I picked up the closest deadly weapon that I could find that wasn't my boyfriend. My hand clenched down on the steak knife's handle. Bel was quick to follow in arming himself. Almost instantaneously he held a dozen of his special knife and launched them at the intruders. They all hit their mark, or I would assume, that being Patty. Two landed in her right arm, one her left, three in her shoulder, one in her neck, three in her stomach, and two in her left leg. Each knife went deep into her skin, I could tell because only half the hilt was still visible. It was strange that they sunk in so easily. Bel wasted no time in throwing handfuls of knives at the other two.

Patty rolled her shoulders and with a silent command all three jumped in through the window. They acted as if the damage they took was nothing. From the looks of it, it wasn't.

"Fuck!" Bel swore, "My attacks aren't slowing them down any."

The three ominous figures started to close in on our location. The smell coming off them was almost unbearable.

"Bel, I think it's time to retreat." I said with my heart in my throat and my voice barely a quiver.

"No, I can take them." Bel said confidently before charging the smaller man into hand-to-hand combat. I watched as he spun about, slashing and cutting at the other guy. The small one kicked out at him, but he was able to doge it at the last second.

I was so busy watch them fight that I had lost track of what the other two were doing.

My lungs stopped working when I felt a clammy hand grab my wrist.

"Ah!" I pulled back, trying to get away from Patty's strong grip. "Let go!"

She hissed at me, the smell of her breath was enough to make me want to keel over.

Bel turned around at the sound of my voice. His hair was swept back out of his face, which looked livid, and there was a fire lit in his eyes. With one fell swoop of his knife he cut Patty's hand off her arm. In that moment I couldn't think of what was worse; the fact that Patty's hand came clean off as if there was no bone inside her, the fact that there was no blood spilling out of her wound, or the fact that there was a severed hand attached to me.

I heard Patty snarling, her lips curling over her teeth, which again were hideously malformed, right before my world went black.

_Th-thump Th-thump Th-thump_

As I came back to reality I felt a sudden sense of panic. Something that often occurs after fainting.

"Relax," A warm breath tickled my ear as the voice commanded me. "We're safe for now."

"Belphegor." As my eyes adjusted to the darkness I realized where we were, my bedroom closet. That or Heaven was a lot smaller and stranger than I thought it would be. Belphegor must have carried me all the way up here.

I could feel him pull me into a tighter embrace and I realized that I was sitting in his lap. Which was a lot like the time on the bus coming home from that fieldtrip. It felt nice being nestled in the safety of his lap, surrounded by strong arms. Right now there was nowhere else on Earth I would want to rather be, even if it meant being hundreds of miles away from my house and the creeps that were in it. Yes, Bel was like a blanket of protection and all my fears melted away until I heard the awful scratching sound of nails scrapping against wood.

"I blocked off your door to slow them down." Bel explained. "I wanted to escape out the window, but not while you were unconscious for it might have proven difficult. I hid us in here on the off chance they broke through your door before you came to."

"How could no one have heard this?"

Bel shrugged, "Squalo and Xanxus are in the hot tub, that thing is pretty loud, and if I know Lussuria he's blasting music through his headphone into his ears."

There were more scratching sounds.

"I guess that's our queue to leave." I said, regretfully standing up. We both scrambled out of the closet and I saw that Bel had managed to push my bed up against the door. As Bel opened up the window, I grabbed my frog backpack and quickly stuffed some things into it. Just some stuff I thought might be useful; a flashlight, a box of band-aids, dental floss, my phone book, and a pack of gum. As soon as it was on my back I joined Bel by the window. The night air held a cold sting like hundreds of tiny needles pricking at my skin. The moon was big and bright and made it easy to see my front yard. We were on the second story so I knew the fall would hurt, but there were no better alternatives.

"Do you think we could call for help?" I asked.

"Even if we did it would do no good. Any damage I tried to inflict on them was useless."

Speaking of which…

"What happened to her hand?" I asked as I looked down at my own.

"I pried it off and threw it, which gave me a long enough distraction to get away." He looked down at the ground to make sure we were good to go.

"I'll jump first." He said and with that he flung himself out. I watched as he gracefully hit the grass like a cat jumping from off a tree branch. Amazing. He motioned for me to do the same. I took a deep breath, and was going to collect my thoughts when the sound of splitting wood forced me to jump earlier than I had planned.

I was falling and then I wasn't as I was yanked back up. I yelped at the pain as my backpack's straps dug into my arms. I looked up and saw the bigger man holding onto me. With all my might I kicked off the house, forcing me to go up like I was on a swing. Then I slammed my foot into the guy's face.

"Hands off the froggy backpack!" I said right before he let me fall. The distance wasn't long enough for me to right myself and I felt my life flash before my eyes.

"Gotcha!" Bel said as I was snatched from the air and into his arms. He didn't have time to set me on my feet before he had to run.

I glanced up to see if they were close behind, "Bel!"

I was suddenly launched into the air as Belphegor went flying towards the earth. I felt my back hit the pavement first, then my head. My world spun around as I laid there sprawled where normally our car would be parked. We hadn't gotten that far for the amount of time that had seemed to pass. Black dots spun through my vision, mingling with the stars, a sure sign of blacking out. I couldn't have hit my head that hard…

Shit what was I doing?

I bolted up right despite the amount of pain it inflicted me and assessed the damage. The creepers, as I was now officially calling them, were in a power battle against Belphegor. His recovery time was admirable. It was surprising that he was able to fend all three off at the same time, but I knew he couldn't keep it going for long.

"Fran!"

I snapped to attention when he yelled my name.

"Get out of here." He yelled right before Patty lunged at me. With fast reflexes Bel was able to grab at her arm, holding her back, but just barely. "I said go!"

I scrambled to my feet, and found that my legs were shaking. Then again, my entire body was shaking. Go? Go where? I knew he couldn't hold them back much longer, and as long as I was there he would be distracted by trying to protect me. I took a deep breath before turning my back on the group and began running. At first I thought I was going to fall, but then from some unknown place I found the strength to carry me to my destination. I ran into the backyard of my neighbors knowing that the two teachers were my best bet in helping Bel rescue me. When I got there though all hope seemed lost.

"Xanxus! Squalo!" I called out there names but there were no replies. I heard Bel swear in the background and knew that someone must have gotten away from him. I didn't have much time. I ran across the porch and kept running until I was in front of another neighbor's house. My vision blurred as tears began to find their way to my eyes as the hopelessness set in. If Bel couldn't kill them then what could a normal person do? I turned around ready to face my attacker when something shiny caught my attention. It was the moonlight reflecting off the front bumper of the answer to my unsaid prayers.

I didn't have time to cross my fingers as I yanked on the door to the black SUV. It opened up and I jumped in, slamming the door closed behind me. If I could get it to work I could run over the creeps and pick up Bel all at the same time.

"Keys…" I muttered as my hand brushed the side of the steering wheel. It was too much to ask that they would be there, and they weren't. My heart was racing in my ears and I couldn't even hear myself think. Maybe, just maybe, the careless owner not only left the doors unlocked, but the keys somewhere inside. I searched the area near my feet, to no avail. I turned to the passenger seat and screamed. Never before had I heard such a sound come from my mouth, a sound of such vulnerability, such dismay.

"Frannnn." My name was drawn out for the speaker had difficulty saying it.

My name was the first word I ever heard her say since after her "condition" occurred.

My name.

I had never been so scared to hear my name before.

I pressed my back up against the driver's door, trying to get as far away from Patty as possible. Her torso was already across the other seat, as she pulled herself in. I dared a quick glance to her hand, expecting to see a nub, and was shocked to find it back in its rightful place. Only… it was backwards.

"Frannnn…" Her breath made my stomach turn, or maybe that was just her mere presence.

My fingers fumbled around, looking for a way to open my door without me having to turn my back on her. They couldn't find it!

THUD

I jumped out of my skin as something slammed into my door. Another scream came out of me. The door opened up and I felt myself fall backwards and into a pair of recognizable arms. Bel managed to pull me out right as Patty was about to grab my leg. I didn't have time to catch my breath for as soon as he slammed the door in Patty's face we were running again.

"Sorry it took me so long." He said, pulling me along. I don't think he knew where we were going either.

We passed house after house, but none of the lights were on. Soon I didn't see any more of them. We kept a steady pace even after my lungs wanted to give out. My legs ached, my chest burned, and my heart was about ready to explode. I didn't have to beg for a break because we suddenly came to a stop. I about collapsed on the ground, and I would have too, if it were not for Bel holding me up.

"This looks like a safe place for now." He said in earnest.

I glanced up and immediately recognized the small field, set of swings, metal slide, and monkey bars. It was the park I had visited not so long ago.

"We shouldn't just stand here out in the open though." He said and I allowed him to drag me over to the slide. Not bothering to go around he climbed right up the slide as if he were walking on flat land. Now I had seen small children pull off such tricks, but not without holding onto the sides, and never on such a steep slope.

He looked down at me and held out his hand.

"Oh no, I am much too exhausted to try." I said as I made my way to the metal rungs. Each one seemed to take too much effort, but before long I was sharing the small space at the top with Bel.

It was silent for a moment for we both seemed to be catching our breath.

"This makes a good lookout tower." He said as he turned his head side to side, scanning the area for anything suspicious.

I nodded my head in response. My hands were shaking. I wish they would stop.

"What do you think they are?" I asked him.

"Not sure." He said honestly, "Whatever the fuck they are I hope they're not zombies."

"Why?"

He held out his arm for me to see. There was just enough moonlight for me to make out the red marks on his pale skin. I felt sick. He had gotten hurt protecting me… dumb Prince.

"Don't worry." I said as I pulled out the box of band-aids I brought and began to apply one to his arm to stop the bleeding and to help prevent infection. "Usually zombies don't target one person."

"Hm." He bit his thumbnail, something I had not seen him do before. "Do you remember when you came over to my house, the conversation we had?"

I recalled when I skipped school. How could I forget? Everyone had made such a big deal about it. "Yeah."

"The time for observing is over." He said, determination emanating off him, "It's time to get some answers."

"How?"

He looped his arm around my waist, holding onto me tightly. He looked up at the moon and was silent for a moment, staring off into the stars.

"Belphegor?"

"We'll go to Byakuran for starters."

I nodded my head approvingly, "That seems as good a place to start as any."

"I wonder where he lives…" Bel mused aloud.

I would have told him that I had the address in my address book, something that I had happened to bring along with me. I would have told him that we could head there now, even though it was the middle of the night. I would have, but I didn't, I never got a chance to.

_To be continued…_

**Arthur's Note:** Sorry for the long wait. Computer was dumb and no longer allowed me to use the internet so I had to wait until I got a new computer. It was lame, I was w/o internet for weeks of my vacation! It was enough to drive a sane person insane, so I have no idea what it could have done to me. Luckily, for myself and for you lovely readers, I kept my sanity by means of Netflix (aka all the anime I could ask for) and my boyfriend. :D

Thanks for reading and reviewing, see you all in the next chapter!


	14. Like the Mafia

Like the Mafia

It's unusual to hear the world, which is bursting with life, to suddenly become still. Yet it did. The light breeze that had been blowing all night vanished and the soft sounds of the insects became nonexistent. Even the moon quieted its glow as it nestled behind some clouds. I paused in my thoughts long enough to take note of the change in atmosphere. It didn't seem right.

The unnatural tranquil of nature was broken by the rustling of leaves. It could have been a number of different nocturnal animals, but it wasn't, and I knew without looking. The creepers had caught up to us.

"Shit." Bel swore. He didn't wait for them to approach us, because that would have made us sitting ducks. Instead he launched himself down the slide pulling me with him. We hit the ground running, and ran straight into the last thing we would have expected to find at the park in the middle of the night.

"Watch it you degenerates."

In the darkness it was hard to make out the owner of the voice by appearances, but from the voice and disdain towards people it was easy to come to the conclusion that it was Hibari. What was the leader of the school's Discipline Committee of Prefects doing here? Didn't he like live at the school or something? What? I heard rumors…

"Hibari, what are you doing out here?" I blurted out.

He managed to mutter something about hedgehogs before his attention drifted to the creepers who had quickly closed in on us. He gave them a glance though his face remained impassive.

"Frannnn." Patty reached out towards me. I flinched back from reflex.

"Attacking Namimori Middle School students," Hibari pulled out his tonfa and twirled them each once before settling them in an attack position, "Unacceptable."

Hibari was known as the strongest student in our school, whether or not this was true, he was an amazing fighter. But still… would he be able to take them on even when Bel's attacks were meaningless?

He must have sensed my doubt because he said, "Watch my fight closely and it will wipe that expression off your face."

To the enemy he said, "My kind of prey exactly."

With that being said he threw himself into battle. His movements, along with his weapons, were hard to follow. It was basically a blur of black, his tonfa, his hair, and his school uniform. His movements were fluid like liquid. I was surprised that Belphegor didn't jump right in. I looked at him and saw that he was following the battle closely. He must have been assessing Hibari's strength and by keeping out of the fight I suppose he was being respectful. Though was now really the time for that?

Hibari's hair whipped about his face as he dodged each of their blows. Like the clouds he was untouchable. While he may have been unscathed, from the look of it, so were they. For each blow he dealt it seemed nothing had changed. Just like with Bel. If this kept going then he would eventually run out of stamina. He must have sensed this as well, and as soon as there was an opening, he jumped back beside us.

"What are they?"

"Hell if we know." Bel answered.

"We were running from them when we ran into you." I explained, "They don't take damage. Bel already cut off one of their hands, and they've reattached it backwards."

Hibari's face showed disgust, "The only thing worse than humans."

Bel and I shared a moment of confusion.

I asked, "What is?"

"Something that appears to be but isn't."

Duh. I knew they weren't human, nothing like them could be. But I hadn't really thought about it in detail. If they weren't human, then what were they? I didn't have time to analyze my thoughts because the creepers had gathered themselves for another assault.

"We can't stay here. Come with me." Hibari said then sprinted up the middle of the road. It didn't take me us too long to be right beside him. My legs were still in pain, but it was better than what the alternative might be. From somewhere behind us I heard angry growls from our pursuers.

"Do you have a plan?" I asked between gulps of air. Was it harder to breath or was it just me?

Hibari took a sharp turn continuing with the flow of the road, "In nature one does not form a plan but react on instinct."

"Well what does your instinct tell you?"

"Jump."

"Ju-" I was about to ask but was tripped by a cat that had been sleeping in the middle of the road. Maybe it wasn't such a good idea to follow Hibari exactly… The cat hissed at me before running off to hide under a car. At least it wasn't hurt. Bel helped me pick myself up and we had to run to catch up to Hibari.

"Why are we following this guy?" Bel huffed, not from exertion but out of annoyance.

"Why not?"

I could feel Bel roll his eyes beside me, "Don't tell me your instinct told you to."

"And what if it did?" I asked as I watched Hibari turn a corner and had to hurry after him, "What does _your _instinct tell _you _to do?"

There was no hesitation as he said, "To protect you."

"Then I guess we're both following Hibari."

We did eventually make our way back to his side as he slowed down at an intersection. He looked down each of the paths in contemplation. I took this moment to look over my shoulder to see if we had been perused this far into the residential area. The moonlight revealed no monsters but just because I couldn't see them didn't mean that they weren't there hiding in the shadows. Now I sounded paranoid again, it was starting to become a serious problem with me.

"What are you looking for?" Bel finally asked because he was feeling impatient.

Hibari glared at him.

Bel grinned, "Now's not the time for that."

Hibari gave an internal sigh but finally said, "Do you have a phone on you? Do either of you?"

"No." Was our reply.

"I misplaced mine somewhere…" Hibari confessed, "I need to make a phone call, I'm looking for a certain house."

With that we were off again. He seemed to know where he was going now and it didn't take more than three minutes until we were standing outside of this normal looking house. Hibari, using the house we were in front of and the one beside it, scaled the wall. It helped that the two houses were close together which allowed for him to propel himself off each of them to gain ground. His swift movements were like those from an action kung fu movie or something. He went all the way to the roof and from there he leaned over the edge and tapped on the second story window. Moments later a face appeared. The boy looked familiar.

"He's also on the Discipline Committee." Bel commented. So that's where I had seen him before. Hibari slipped into the room with ease and we didn't see him again until he reemerged a minute later. He jumped out of the window like how we had to earlier and landed on the ground with such grace that I could have mistaken him for a cat.

"So?" Bel asked. "Who did you call?"

The teen didn't feel like replying and instead opted to stretch out on the grass. He seemed so relaxed, and there I was completely on edge. I did feel like resting though so I sat down on the sidewalk. Belphegor plopped down beside me.

Waiting is boring.

Waiting outside at night when there are creepers after you is terrifying.

I admit we didn't have to wait long before a black Honda pulled up in front of us. It looked unfamiliar and I was concerned that it could be the creepers. I was all ready to flee when the window rolled down and a head of blond hair peered out.

"It's a lovely night for a walk but how about you kids hop in."

"Dino sensei?"`

-6-6-6-

"Imagine my surprise when you called me!" The overzealous Dino gushed to Hibari who he had dragged into the passenger seat.

"Shut up herbivore!"

Belphegor and I were seated comfortable in the backseat. The car was nice and clean. The only thing I found on the floor was a first-aid kit, which was probably something necessary for the clumsy English teacher.

The friendly banter up front died suddenly as Dino became more serious, "So why did you call me? What's going on?"

Dino ran a shaking hand through his hair, "You hung up on me so suddenly I got worried."

Hibari remained silent which I felt was his way of saying that it was for me to explain. I wasn't sure if I could put our situation into words that wouldn't make me sound crazy. But hey, what did I have to lose?

"It's complicated," I began as I formed the sentences in my head.

"Well lay it on me anyways." Dino said in a very easy manner making me feel as if I could tell him anything and he would believe me.

I glanced at Belphegor and he gave a nod of approval. I took a deep breath and began, "The immediate problem would be that we're being hunted by a trio of adults, and I use that term loosely. For some reason they are chasing after us… well me. One of them is the bus driver Patty, you remember the one from the field trip. Well they aren't normal… they behave abnormally, and their limbs break off with ease and reattached just as easily."

Dino didn't say anything.

"We were at my house when they broke in through the front window." I said, "I saw them earlier at school today and they must have followed me home…"

"Well this sounds like quite the predicament you've gotten yourself into." Dino said, sounding bright and optimistic as ever. That must have been a superficial act though, he must have been trying to keep calm for our sake. "And how did you get dragged into all this Hibari?"

"Leave me alone." Hibari said while keeping an intense glare directed at the window.

"I need to know all the facts." Dino insisted.

I spoke up for the brooding teen, "We ran into him at the park when we were making our escape."

"The park?" Dino chanced a surprised glance at us. "I get why you were there, but…"

We all looked over at Hibari. After a few minutes of awkward silence he finally grumbled a quick explanation, "I was out observing hedgehogs."

"I think that's going to need more of a clarification."

"Recently I found one of their nests in the park. It was built in brushwood that was pushed off to the side of the playground equipment. A pile left untouched after last autumn. I wanted to inspect the nest more closely, but I didn't want to disturb anyone while they were sleeping."

"So you planned to visit the nest at night because hedgehogs are nocturnal." Dino finished the thought. "Don't you had a pet hedgehog?"

"He's not a pet!" Hibari snapped.

"Right, right!" The blonde apologized, "You rescued him right? I remember you mentioning you found him with a hurt leg."

"I think an owl tried to eat him, one of them had a nest near where I found him." Hibari sounded sympathetic, which was an emotion people hardly ever saw from him.

"And didn't the little fellow bite you? Sure seemed ungrateful."

Hibari huffed, "It's called anointing, or anting."

"Anoi what?"

"Anointing, in animal terms, is what the animal does when it encounters a new scent. In the hedgehog's case it will lick and bite the source of the scent, which was me. It will then form a scented froth in its mouth which it will apply to its spines using its tongue. I'm not sure what the purpose is of this but I assume its to give it camouflage. Birds do something similar, anting, where they rub insects like ants on their feathers. What that does is remove any distasteful acids off their meal."

"You sure know your animals!" Dino praised as we came to a stop in front of a house. He turned around in his seat and smiled at Bel and I, "Well this is my home."

"What are we doing here?" Belphegor asked as we got out of the car.

"Well to start off with we need to touch bases with some people, like your families."

Crap! I hadn't even thought about Dad, then again when did I have the time? Was he home? Did he see the broken glass? Then again how could he miss it! He must be so worried about me, an emotion I've been making him feel a lot lately.

When we got inside my eyes were greeted with expensive furniture littered with odd assortments of clothing, accessories, and papers. Dino apologized for the mess as he made his way to get the phone. Hibari walked in like he owned the place, and Bel seemed to have no trouble pushing off junk to make a seat for himself. I felt a bit more hesitant. I looked at the sofa and grabbed one of the papers, curious as to what could be all over the place. It was some kid's homework, from the look of it they didn't do too hot. I had heard rumors that Dino was notorious for not getting paperwork back to his students, now I knew why.

"Here you go." Dino reappeared at my side with a wireless phone in his hand.

I muttered a thanks before I attentively dialed my home phone. I felt apprehensive. Who would pick up? Would anyone? It rang, and rang, but no one answered.

"Well?" Dino asked.

"Nothing."

"Here, let me try." Belphegor snatched the phone from my hand. He pounded the buttons and before I knew it the other end was ringing. There was a pause, and then a voice boomed.

"_What?" _He sounded irritated.

"Where the hell are you?" Bel asked ignoring the question.

"_What does it fucking matter to you?"_

It took me a moment but I recognized Squalo's voice. Bel must have called his cell.

"Have you even been in Fran's house?"

"_What? No. We're still at the neighbor's." _

"But you weren't in the hot tub." I blurted out. Bel repeated the accusation so Squalo could hear it.

"_Oh… well about that." _Squalo began.

"_Hang up the phone already and come back to bed." _Xanxus's voice came from the background.

"…"

"…"

"…"

"…"

We were all speechless.

Finally Belphegor laughed, "You're sick, you know that?"

"_Che, whatever. Now what do you want?"_

Belphegor became more serious, "Some people broke into Fran's house and chased us out."

"_WHAT? No way!"_

"Fran was attacked and you guys were suppose to be in charge, but where were you when he needed protecting?" Bel looked like he was about ready to throw the phone at a wall.

"_Well weren't you there?" _

Belphegor turned his back on us and muttered something into the phone, I couldn't make out what he said. After that there was a short exchange where he told them our location and what to do if my dad got home. After that he handed the phone back to Dino.

"Your turn." Dino said, offering the phone to Hibari, who immediately rejected it. "Look, if you don't tell someone where you are, I'm sure they'll be worried. Call someone."

Hibari was still being stubborn when our school's anthem rang out. Dumbfounded we all looked around. It was Belphegor who finally found the small cell phone under a pile of clothes. My blonde prince dangled the thing in midair, grinned, then turned to Hibari. "Come here often?"

"Shut up." Hibari already had out his tonfa ready to strike.

"Everyone relax!" Dino said intervening. The phone had stopped. It must have been an alarm or something.

"So this is where you misplaced your phone." Bel teased and Hibari lunged at him.

The teacher, in a failed attempt to stop the two from dueling it out, only managed to get in the way. He meant to grab Hibari before he could hit Bel, but tripped on his rug. That ended with Hibari falling into him, pushing him back into Bel. All three of them now laid sprawled on the ground in a human sandwich. I wanted to laugh but I didn't think it would be safe to with all the hostility already in the air. Instead I watched as they scrambled to get up, not bothering to offer a hand.

Once Bel had retrieved his crown from underneath the couch I did give him a mock smile and asked, "Are you alright?"

"Shut up."

"Yes your highness."

He glared at me and I stuck my tongue out at him.

"You guys are unreasonable." Dino complained though he was laughing. Hibari sulked in the corner of the room, his pride just a little damaged.

"So what's our next move boss man?" I addressed Dino.

"Well… now it's my turn to make a phone call." He searched around for the phone, which he had dropped in the fall, and then he left the room.

Belphegor still had Hibari's phone. I stealthily pulled it out of his hand, and before he could stop me, I offered it up to its owner as a peace treaty.

"Herbivore," He eyed me warily.

"It's better to make friends than enemies, especially now when we don't know what we're up against."

"This was your problem." He reminded me.

I felt a frown tugging at the corners of my mouth, "I know, and I'm sorry to drag you into this. Thank you though, for the help."

"Hmph." He took the phone from my hand. He looked at me through his bangs, his almond shape eyes cold and unblinking. He looked away and stated, "This was your problem, and now it's ours."

"Ours?"

"He's right you know." Bel said as he placed a hand on my shoulder. "It's like in the mafia; you mess with one of us and you mess with all of us."

"I think I prefer; you fuck with one of ours, and we'll all fuck you up." Hibari said.

"Hm, I like the way you think." Belphegor laughed, "So what do you say? Ready to ruin their night?"

"There will be none of that." Dino said, rejoining us. "While I'm happy to see you're all getting along now, we can't just go looking for trouble like that. We need to formulate a plan, a way to defeat them."

"Shit you're right," Bel looked disappointed.

"Call Byakuran."

Dino looked at me, "Why do you say that?"

"He might know something." I shrugged.

Dino looked hesitant but he ultimately said, "I already did."

"Oh?" I blinked at him, "Then that means you must know something."

The older man looked uncomfortable under my scrutiny. He did know something. Now was not the time to turn on allies, but still…

I sighed, letting the issue go for now.

"Well what did he say?" Bel asked.

"To sit tight for now." Dino smiled, "So is anyone hungry? Thirsty?"

This could be a long wait. I still needed to get a hold of Dad. I didn't know his work's number, but it was probably in the phonebook. With that I shrugged my backpack off and began to dig through it. I found the thing with no trouble. I dropped my bag onto the ground, it sounded like some stuff fell out but I didn't care. I began to flip through the pages, searching, and it took a few minutes but I found it.

"Hey, where's the phone?" I asked, pulling my eyes away from the number long enough to look at the others. All three of them were staring stupidly at the ground, so of course I had to look at what they were looking at. When I looked down I was surprised to see the neon green glow. The source was an object that was resting beside my bag.

"What is that?" Dino asked, voicing all of our thoughts, "Is it a fancy glow stick?"

"Don't be stupid, it looks metal." Hibari said.

"That?" I bent down and on a closer inspection I recognized it, "Oh! That's the thing from the gift shop."

"Gift shop?" Dino asked, confused.

"At the Science Center." I mumbled, "Belphegor and I ran into a display in the gift shop, the owner said we broke this, and so Bel had to pay for it."

Dino nodded in understanding, "What is it even?"

"The man charged 1,000 dollars for it. At the time my mind was somewhere else and I never really looked at it, though I recall thinking it odd. At first it was in my pocket, but later on I put it in my backpack. I guess I never took it out." I grabbed it and noticed there was a tag attached to it. I flipped it so I could see the words, which I read out loud, "It says, 'This is an authentic object found in a pile of space debris. It has been closely examined and its origins are from a satellite'."

"Are they even allowed to sell something like that?" Bel asked.

"Strange…" Dino muttered.

"Well that doesn't explain the glow." Hibari brought our attention back to the object, "Maybe it's radioactive?"

"It wasn't glowing before, I would have remembered that."

"I think this deserves a trip back to the Science Center." Dino declared.

"Do we have to?" I asked. I didn't want to go back.

Dino shook his head no, "No, we don't have to, but don't you want answers?"

"I do."

"Then it's settled, we'll go tomorrow."

"What about school?"

"What about school?"

"We have school tomorrow."

"We do?"

"We do."

Bel scoffed, "And you call yourself a teacher."

"Skipping school will not be tolerated." Hibari said.

"Not even in this emergency?" Dino asked.

"Not even."

I tuned out their voices as I looked at the object. I couldn't tell what was making it glow. It was so puzzling. There didn't appear to be a place for batteries and I didn't see any switches or buttons. It was a small bulky metal rod, thing, that glowed green. So bizarre.

I set the thing aside and stood up, "Anyways I need to get a hold of my dad."

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note: **Short, but at least it didn't take another month for me to post. Be proud of me! xD

UMAs? What are UMAs? O.o They sound interesting!

I'm going on a small trip and will be back _next_ Sunday, so I'll try to post another chapter then. :D

See you all in the next chapter!


	15. It's Moments Like This

It's Moments Like This that Remind Me of Why I Hold Dear the Others

"Where is he? Let me see him!"

"Please, you're going to have to calm down." The man huffed.

"Calm down? Don't tell me to calm down! I don't want to calm down."

"Fran calm down."

"No!" I pulled away from Belphegor, "I- I don't want to…"

"Shh." Belphegor pulled me into an embrace and I buried my face into his shirt. "You getting worked up wont do anyone any good."

"I know…"

"Shh." He stroked my hair gently.

"Good, you've calmed him down." The man said, "Next time keep better control of your friend or put him on a shorter leash."

_POW_

"My nose!" The man grabbed at his face as he staggered back.

"Belphegor don't hit the doctor!"

"Are these your kids?" The man asked the his voice sounded nasally.

"Thank God no." Dino said, but quickly explained, "I only say that because that would mean I would have to be married to a woman, and not that that's a problem but I'm much to young and-"

"Shut up."

"Ah, yes you're right Hibari, I am babbling. Hahaha…"

The doctor looked at Belphegor nervously, "I should call security on you…"

Belphegor raised his fist, "Try it. I dare you."

"Enough! Play nice Belphegor." Dino reprimanded.

"I was. I didn't use my knives."

Upon hearing that the doctor stepped back, frightened, eyes wide like a deer in the headlights. The man held up his clipboard as a makeshift shield, "Keep him away from me."

"Don't insult Fran." Bel commanded through clenched teeth.

"Bel you sh-" Dino began, then turned to the doctor, "You insulted Fran?"

"Who is Fran?" The man asked, realizing he had made quite a blunder. "Oh, the upset kid? I'm sorry! He just came in here making demands and I-"

"Just don't do it again." Dino said as friendly advice. "Now can I ask you something? We're looking for a patient…"

"Who?"

Dino pulled the man off to the side and the rest of their conversation was said in whispers.

"Bel, let go of me." I said as I tried to pull away.

His grip only tightened, "No."

…

Dino returned, "Okay I got the room number! It's room 307 which should be in the west wing."

"I-" Dino was about to say more but lost his sentence as I broke out of Belphegor's grip and pushed past the English teacher.

"Fran!" Dino called after me.

I didn't hear footsteps behind me, so I knew they were lagging behind on purpose. I raced through the white halls of the hospital. At one point a nurse yelled at me to stop running, but I ignored her.

301, 302, 303...

The room was in sight. I was going to open up the door and Dad was going to say, "Hey kiddo, what took you so long? What, no flowers?" Kiddo… something he called me when I was younger, and when I was upset. Kiddo. He used that word to start the conversation, the conversation that would tell me my mother was missing, and that I would most likely never see her again.

304, 305, 306...

Yeah I remember it clearly, even though I was so young. Dad had started it with, "Kiddo, there's something important I have to tell you. Your mom, she's… she's not coming back." Not coming back…

307

I came to a halt outside the door and opened it up.

"_Hey kiddo"_

My fantasy vanished just like that. The room was dark but for the monitors and a small lamp above the bed. The lively welcome I had longed for wasn't there. The only sound that greeted me was the beeping of the machine.

"Dad?" I stepped into the room.

"Are you the patient's son?" A man asked from behind me, "We tried to get a hold of you, but no one picked up at your home."

"I was at a friend's house." I said as I turned to the doctor. He was an older man with a head of grey hair and whiskers covering the lower half of his face. His white lab coat made him seem cold and unfriendly, like stone, like the white tiled floor.

"So how did you find out?"

"I called his work…"

"Ah yes, I heard the accident happened outside the parking lot of the Stop and Shop Store."

I stared passed him at the wall, "What happened? The store owner, he, he wouldn't give me the details."

"It would be hard to I imagine." The doctor rubbed his chin thoughtfully, "Well witnesses testimony claims that he had gone outside to take out the trash when a vehicle came out of nowhere and rammed into him. He was tossed up against the windshield before hitting the pavement. Someone called an ambulance immediately afterwards."

"Who did this?"

"Who? Oh, you mean the driver? Well the type of car has been identified as a white Mazda Scrum, but beyond that nothing is known."

I glanced back into the room at the lump that was my father, "How… how is he?"

"Well he's alive, that's about the only positive news I have to offer. He has five broken ribs, and one of them punctured his left lung. We took care of that in surgery as soon as he arrived. His left leg is pretty busted up, had to put it in a cast. For now his vital signs are normal, but I'm afraid he hasn't been conscious yet. He's in a coma."

"What?"

"Do you need to sit down?"

"No! Just tell me."

"We believe he has an anoxic brain injury, also known as cerebral hypoxia. What that is, is when oxygen levels are low for a period of four minutes or longer brain cells begin to die. The damage is dependant on how long the brain was in that state. We believe it was caused from the prolonged condition his lung was in. It wasn't able to sustain the amount of oxygen his body needed. Now because we fixed him up right away there's a chance he'll be okay. We'll have to wait and see if he becomes responsive. If he does then that means the brain tissue damage is less sever. Now if he does wake up the chances are high that he wont be the same. There are a number of problems that can occur from having an anoxic brain injury, but we'll worry about that later…"

"A coma?"

"Son, do you need to sit down? It looks like you're about to faint." The doctor looked around for a chair.

"I'm fi-" Black orbs danced around my vision. I had been seeing them a lot lately. I resisted the urge to fall into blackness and I gripped the doorframe to keep myself from getting close and personal with the floor.

"Fran!" I heard Belphegor and looked over. His face was the last thing I saw before I lost my hold on the world.

-6-6-6-

I woke up to the sight of a ceiling fan spinning around and around above my head. It reminded me of a baby's mobile, which made me feel as if I was in a crib. I didn't like that feeling. I tried to sit up but I was met with resistance. I tilted my head to look at my body. Atop the white sheets that covered me was a blanket of blonde hair. Belphegor was passed out and I was his pillow.

"I was in that same position not too long ago." A voice said from the shadows, "Belphegor's I mean."

I looked over at Byakuran. He was seated in the corner by the window, a concerned look on his face.

"When Fon had to go to the hospital?"

"Yeah…" He stood up, stretching his legs, giving me the idea that he had been sitting there for awhile. "Dino called me and told me what happened."

"…"

"The doctor said you fainted from a combination of exhaustion and shock. Belphegor was like that when I got here, I take it he was just as tired, and extremely worried about you." Byakuran smiled softly. "I bet nothing on this earth could get him to leave your side, especially with all the craziness that's been going on. It seems he's taken it upon himself to protect you."

"Why are you here?"

"I was worried about you, and after Dino's first phone call, I knew I had to come." Byakuran shook his head sadly, "Though that can wait for later."

"Ah I see he's awake." Fon said, rolling his chair into the room. He wheeled up beside me, offering me a paper cup filled with water. "I thought when you woke up you might be thirsty."

"Thank you." I said as I downed the liquid.

His hair was in its usual braid, though it looked rushed, and not as perfect as it usually did. Strands of hair stuck out at odd ends. He looked around the room then commented, "I hate hospitals, especially their beds, they're so uncomfortable."

"So do I." I said as I set the empty cup on the small table beside my bed. I started to pull the sheets off but both of the adults freaked out.

"What are you doing?" Byakuran asked.

"Getting up. I'm not a patient here. I'm not sick. I want up."

"But…" Byakuran bit his lip.

I wiggled out from under Belphegor and stepped onto the ground. I was happy to find that I was wearing my clothes and not some hospital garb. My shoes were gone though. I located them first, despite Byakuran's complaints.

"I have to pee." I said bluntly and left the room before they could comment. I looked at my door number and was sad to see that it was room 109 in the east wing. I wondered out into a lobby area. I really did have to pee and I was looking for the restrooms. Piled into the waiting seats, however, was a sight for sore eyes. Squalo and Xanxus were asleep next to each other, the smaller man using the other as a head rest. Lussuria was passed out on the floor, which couldn't be sanitary, but he was resting on his jacket so maybe it was okay. Dino was the closest to me and I noticed he had also nodded off. I glanced next to him to see Hibari whose hair Dino was drooling on.

"You're up." His voice was soft, so as not to wake anyone up.

"I am." I nodded.

"Are you…?" He seemed to be trying to find the right words to communicate. He was trying, and that was more than anyone could ask from Hibari.

"I'll be okay. I mean, I have to be strong…"

"Only the strong survive." He nodded in approval.

I located the bathroom and was half way there when I heard Hibari say, "Your father is strong."

I stopped in my tracks but I didn't turn around, it would have ruined the moment.

"Thank you."

-6-6-6-

"I'm afraid."

"Just go in." Belphegor said encouraging me, or he was annoyed with me, or maybe it was a little of both.

"But what if…"

"If you drained all the water in the ocean you could fill up the empty space with 'what ifs'." Bel said wisely before he propelled me through the open door. I stumbled over to the bed and knelt down beside Dad. He looked like he was sleeping peacefully. It was like that cheesy little kids cartoon with the prince and princess, only there was nothing magical about the situation.

"Dad…" I couldn't help the flow of tears that started to pour down my face. I grabbed his limp hand and squeezed it. It felt clammy and was not at all like his normally warm and strong grip. He was my family. My entire family. I wouldn't know what to do without him. I still needed him… I would never not need him! His goofy smile, his bad cooking, his ridiculous car. I would have him drive me to school everyday if it meant he would be okay.

It wasn't fair, I already lost mom, why him too?

"Don't cry…" My head shot up, shocked, but when I looked at Dad he was unchanged. I then looked beside me to find a young male nurse.

"We cry when we're extremely happy, and we cry when we're extremely sad," He said, "But the look on your face, those tears you were shedding, they looked like tears of goodbye."

"I-" I wiped at my face with my free hand. He was right. It was so easy, after looking at his unmoving face, to feel hopeless. Hibari was right in thinking Dad was strong because he was.

The man snapped out of his trance like state and he looked embarrassed as tan hands flew up to cover his mouth, "I'm SO sorry! Here you were in a tender moment and I just let my lips flap."

"It's… it's fine. You were right. I was feeling…" I looked down at Dad's face. "So who are you again?"

"Oh! Sorry! I'm looking after your father, I'm his attendant." The man bowed, "I'll take good care of him I promise you."

"Yeah… thanks."

"Are you an only child?"

"Yeah, why?"

"So am I." He said, nodding his head up and down, sending his chestnut brown hair all about.

"Okay…"

"Oh, um, I have something for you."

"Something for me?"

"Yeah," The nurse fished around his pants pockets and finally found it in his shirt pocket. "It was found in his hand when he was brought to the hospital."

I was handed the crumpled piece of paper. I was horrified by the stains of red on it but tried to look passed that fact as I unfolded it.

"What does it say? Because you know I would never look at it, that would be rude." His brown eyes shined bright with curiosity.

"It's just a piece of trash, he was taking out the trash before he was hit." I shoved the paper into my pants pocket. Then I turned to Dad, kissed his forehead, and left the room.

"Goodbye!" The nurse called after me.

I walked down the hallway but my pace increased the further I went. The place was pretty quiet for it being daytime. Dad had been flown in here because the city hospital was better equipped for his condition. As soon as I had found out we drove here immediately. I would have to thank Dino properly, he went above and beyond anything I could have asked of him. These people, my school, they were so nice…

By now almost everyone had left the hospital. Today was a school day after all and it wouldn't be good if four teachers and both the principle and vice were all missing. Now Byakuran, Belphegor, and myself remained. Dino took Fon to school so he could take over Byakuran's morning duties as was his job described, what with him being the vice principle and all.

"Hey there. Slow down Frannie! What's your hurry?" Byakuran asked, "Are you ready to go?"

Byakuran has taken it upon himself to look after me while Dad is in the hospital. After all I didn't have any family members that I could turn to. Dino thought because he was already taking care of Fon that I would just be extra baggage, so he offered to take me in, but then tripped and while a doctor was helping him up he accidentally whacked the doctor in the face. After that it was decided that I would be safer with Byakuran, and Hibari even agreed to help take care of his father more so there would be less of a burden for the white haired man. I would have stayed with Belphegor at his place, but it was also decided that I would be safer elsewhere.

"Yes, let's leave." I said, pulling Belphegor along. He had insisted on staying with me and I wasn't complaining.

"We need to stop by your house and pick up anything you might need." Byakuran added.

-6-6-6-

"Wow, what a mess." Byakuran said as we stepped through the front door.

"Maybe you guys should wait outside, I'll be down in a minute." I said as I maneuvered around the larger piles of glass. I headed upstairs in a hurry. Home didn't feel so homey now, it felt empty and somehow superficial. I looked at my bedroom door. It was ripped off it's hinges and half of it was in my room and the other half was in the hallway. I walked in and looked around. There really wasn't much I needed beyond clothes, hygiene utensils, and my school stuff. I gathered all of it and stuffed it into my pillowcase. Good thing I had a large pillow…

Once I was finished I sat on my bed and pulled out the crumpled piece of paper. It weighed heavily in my palm. I stretched it out against my leg and carefully smoothed out the creases.

"What's that?"

I glimpsed up at Belphegor who stood in my doorway, or what was left of it.

"I thought you could use some help bringing down your stuff." He said as way of explanation. "They really did a number on your door."

"Yeah…" I gripped the paper more firmly.

"So what is that?" He repeat his previous question.

I looked down at the paper, "It was found in Dad's hand when he was brought to the hospital."

"What is it?"

"…"

"Fran?"

I'm sorry Dad, but I can't do as you ask of me… I…

"If you don't want to tell me, it's okay." Belphegor said as he sat down beside me, making a point of not looking at the paper.

"But I trust you." I said, and meant it, "This paper is a message to me, it says to trust no one."

I showed it to him, and the scribbled words in the middle of the page. I sighed, "He was going to talk to me, about the strange stuff that's been happening. I wonder what he had to say…"

"What I don't understand is why he would tell you not to trust anyone." Belphegor said thoughtfully. "Your friends would never hurt or betray you, and I… well I would never let other people hurt you."

"What do you mean?"

"Well I may cause you harm but-"

I shook my head, "No, I mean, what was your point?" "I'm sure he knows that you can trust us, so…"

"Well maybe he was worried that more people could be like Patty, look like her but not be her."

"Maybe…"

"Or?" I asked.

"Or maybe he didn't write that."

"But that would mean someone else did, someone who knew the circumstances of what's been going on." I said, catching on, "Which would mean that this was planted on him."

"Which would mean that his accident, wasn't an accident."

I stood up, "You think someone did that to him on purpose?"

"No, not just someone, but them. Patty or whatever she and the others are."

"But…" I clasped my hands together. "Around the time that it happened Patty and her goons were after us, and if what you're saying was true then that would mean there are even more of them."

"Scary thought, but yeah, that's what I mean."

"Why would they have Dad tell me that though?"

Belphegor shrugged, "To make you suspicious of your friends so that you would distance yourself from them. Then they would be able to get to you easier."

"That makes sense… but wouldn't it also make sense if that was my Dad warning me."

"True…" Belphegor agreed.

"If that was the case… does that mean I can't trust you? Are you who you say you are?"

"Wait a minute, I thought you just said you could trust me." Bel laughed.

"I did."

"Besides, if I was evil, why would I tell you that the paper was planted? Doesn't that seem to work against them and their plan?"

"To lull me into a false sense of security so that I trust you and let my guard down."

"Well do you want me to prove it to you? That I am who I say I am." He asked, standing up as well.

"How would you prove it to me?" I asked.

He smiled, "Well I could have you ask me any question I might know the answer to, or…"

"Or…?"

He reached out, grabbed me, and pulled me close. Our bodies were pressed together tight like a flower in the middle of a book.

"Or," He whispered, "I could show you."

"Show me?" I asked baffled.

"You know," He said as one of his hands wedged itself between us and traveled towards the crotch of my pants.

I pulled away from him smiling, "Thank you, that did help me decide whether or not I could trust you."

"Oh? And the result?" He asked smiling back at me.

"Go to hell." I spat.

"Fran? What the hell?"

"You may look like him, act like him, but you are not Belphegor." I stood to my full height, trying not to look as scared as I felt. "What are you?"

"Fran, I don't understand…"

"Can't take a hint? Then please let me help you out." I grabbed my pillowcase, and with as much strength as I could muster, I swung it into his stomach knocking him to the floor. "Drop dead!"

I didn't wait around for him to recover himself. I was out of my room and down the stairs in record time. I raced out the front door and was relived to see Byakuran and Belphegor patiently waiting for me.

"Hey you-" I took a flying leap at Bel cutting him off.

"Why so affectionate?" He laughed. "Not that I'm complaining."

"God I was so worried. I thought they stole your skin just like Patty. I thought you were dead!"

"What are you talking about?"

"Belphegor, you and your brother aren't the only ones walking around with that face. Something looking like you came into my room. I talked with it! It acted so much like you, that at first I didn't question that it wasn't."

"Someone with my face? One of them!" Belphegor made an attempt to go inside my house, probably to kill the guy.

"Don't!" I said, holding onto him as tight as I could, planting my feet firmly on the ground. "It could be a trap or something."

"If you're saying this thing tried to trick you, then how did you figure out they were a fake?" Byakuran asked.

"Well…" I felt my face heat up a little, "When they were trying to convince me that they were the real thing they came on to me in such a was that suggested something… sexual… and Belphegor said he was going to wait until-"

Belphegor lunged at the house again, probably even more eager to kill the thing.

"Bel!" I snapped and he finally stopped struggling in my grasp.

"Do you have your things at least?" Byakuran posed the question.

"Yes." Hopefully my stuff wasn't damaged from me using them as a weapon.

"We should get out of here then." Byakuran said, "Before that thing calls their friends."

With that we all piled into the car. At first we were all quiet. Belphegor held onto my hand tightly, and after this experience, I didn't think I ever wanted him to let go. Though I couldn't tell him that, he might take it seriously and do something crazy like handcuff us together.

"What do you know?" I finally asked our mysterious principle.

He didn't say anything, he was just focused on the road.

"Please. Haven't I, hasn't my family, suffered enough? I think I have a right to know."

"We'll talk about it later."

"No! That's what my dad said before he was run over, and I don't think it was an accident…"

"…" He sighed, "Okay."

"Okay?"

"Okay." He said. "I'll tell you."

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note:** Dun dun dun. Well? Well? I feel so bad for Akara, Fran's dad. I'm not sure how you felt with him because he's an OC, but…

My birthday is coming up on the 18th! I'm so excited! :D I'm a Leo and proud of it. Rawr~

Why is Hibari nice to Fran? What is the mystery behind it?

Hibari looks away embarassed, "He kind of looks like a frog..."

That explains all. xD

Thank you for reading my story, see ya'll in the next chapter!


	16. Irony, A Dish Best Served with Frog

Irony, a Dish Best Served with Frog

"Where should I start?" Byakuran asked, more to himself than to us.

"The beginning would be nice." Belphegor spoke up.

I saw white hair fly up and down, "Yes, the beginning would be good, but is there a beginning…?"

"Byakuran!"

"I suppose it all started when I was born-"

I glared at the back of his head, "This isn't funny."

"I'm being serious, just hear me out."

"Fine."

"I guess we can skip some years to when I was in college. One day while I was walking the grounds of my university, I was in my fourth year there, I came across a mother and her child. Now I had never met them before, but upon seeing them, more specifically the kid, I had this déjà vu moment." Byakuran seemed to stare off into space at the memory, which worried me because he was driving. He continued, "That was the first day I met Irie Shoichi."

"Shoichi?"

"Mhm." He laughed at my surprise, "Well it was the first time I had seen him, but I couldn't shake this strong feeling that I had met him before in a different place, a different time…"

I waited patiently this time for the man to refocus.

"I would have passed it off as a coincidence but later that same day I saw them again on the train home! I didn't see them until we were getting off but we must have been riding together the entire time." Byakuran changed lanes, cutting in front of a purple van. "I'm not sure what I would have done. Would I have said something to them? Not sure. What I do know was what happened next changed my life forever."

I realized I was holding my breath, and inhaled quickly, berating myself for acting foolishly. I asked him, "What happened?"

"Shoichi… he was so much smaller than the rest of the crowd and the station was very busy. Well in a rush to get to the train, because the bell signaling it was about to leave sounded, a group of businessmen happened to shove Shoichi out of the way. Out of the way and right onto the tracks! I don't think his mother become aware of right away because there were so many people. There's quite a drop from the platform to the rails you know. There are many way to protect from this kind of accident from happening, but none seemed to be taking effect." Byakuran frowned. "It was like a movie running through my head, almost like I could see a minute into the future, and I watched him get hit."

"But…" Shoichi is alive and everything.

"But I didn't like the future I saw, so I changed it." Byakuran smiled again. "I pushed through the crowed and jumped onto the tracks. I scooped up the frighten boy and escaped the danger just in time. My feet had barely hit the platform when the train shot passed us. Everyone who saw what happened thought I was heroic. Me, heroic? Hardly! However his mother was very grateful."

"You saved his life, but I've heard him say that you were evil."

"He would say that wouldn't he." Byakuran laughed, slapping the steering wheel, "That's probably because his mother was so grateful she sometimes would pay me to baby-sit him. I was a college student so extra money was always nice. I might have tormented him a little… but it was so fun making him cry, and he looked so adorable when he did too!"

Shoichi was right, Byakuran _is _evil…

"Nice story and all, but what does this have to do with Fran's situation?" Belphegor asked, irritation was just dripping from his voice.

"I was getting to that. Kids these days, so impatient!" Byakuran hummed, "Well my encounters with déjà vu moments didn't end there. I started having these like…"

"Premonitions?" I offered.

"Yes."

"And?"

"And I have seen your future."

Goose bumps ran up my skin and my blood turned cold.

"Well, one version of it."

"Explain." Belphegor demanded.

"Parallel words. I see them. I see events that happen in them and possible futures for our world. There are an infinite amount of them. For every decision we make, a new one is created for the ones we didn't." Byakuran spoke slowly, like explaining it was difficult. "Once I started looking into these other worlds it was hard to stop. It's like drilling a hole in a dam, don't just expect a trickle, because soon enough the whole river will be on you. With time I was able to control it better, so these visions don't appear randomly."

"With that kind of power you could take over the world." Belphegor mused.

"I have," His violet eyes flashed dangerously in the reflection of the glass, "In other worlds."

Bel smirked, "Then why not this one?"

We ran into some traffic so we were moving at a snail's pace, which allowed Byakuran to gaze out his window, "I like this world too much, the life I have, the connections I've made. Besides, in another world… another me, I learned my lesson."

I waited for more of an explanation but all he said after that on the matter was, "Dying sucks but there are far worse things."

I waited a moment before daring to ask, "So you saw my future?"

"Some of it, yes." Byakuran looked at my through his rearview mirror, "I have seen some of the future. Do you remember that town we went to, and what I was asking you in the bathroom?"

"Yeah…" How could I forget?

"I also noticed strange things and because of that I used my powers to try and get some answers. What I found wasn't much. There are too many deciding factors, too many people involved." Byakuran chuckled, which unnerved me because it was my future he was talking about. "I looked into the future three times and each vision was different. In the first one you were dead, I knew that because I was at your funeral, the whole school was there."

"That makes me feel so much better."

"The second one happened right after Belphegor asked you out, which by the way that kind of PDA is encouraged at school~"

"You're starting to sound like Lussuria." Bel complained but I slapped a hand over his mouth.

"Shut up and let the man talk." I turned to our principle. "What did you see then?"

"You were gone. Not dead, but not around. I wasn't sure what happened to you." Byakuran said apologetically. "The last vision was the clearest… You said you remember the incident, right?

"Yes, we both do." I thought back to the time. "We do, but no one else did…"

"That's because it never happened." Byakuran held up a hand to stop me from speaking, "I used my powers right before any of the strange business started and I have a theory that at the time we were occupying more than one world. Something enhanced my powers, I'm not sure what, but I believe both you and Belphegor joined me because you are both so closely connected with the vision I was trying to have. It didn't start out that way, but after my first vision I began to focus on you because I realized you were at the center of it. It being this strangeness."

"So that never happened?"

"Well it did, but it didn't." Byakuran said, "While we were experiencing the phenomenon, the real world was still going on, though everyone was experiencing both or however many worlds were combined. I have no doubt you saw a monster in the bus, or that others saw a man, or that nothing ever happened. The only reason we remember it is because of my powers."

"But Patty…" I mumbled.

"I guess in our world whatever made her that way happened. It's just another theory, but I have a feeling we aren't the only ones who remember their experience in the blending worlds."

"There are others?"

"I think so."

"Who?" I asked.

"You didn't notice?"

I thought back as hard as I could.

"Viper…?"

"He's one of them."

"You mean all the teachers?"

Byakuran shook his head no, "Not all of them."

I tried to think of more but couldn't. I gave up and instead asked him, "So what made you think there were more?"

"Fon remembers." Byakuran looked dejected and I couldn't tell why until he added, "I know he does because he talks in his sleep, but he hasn't said anything to me. I don't think he trusts me enough. He acted like nothing was wrong, but on our second night back he had a nightmare and it wasn't a coincidence that he was reliving the event."

"Maybe he only remembers it deep inside his mind, so he doesn't know he knows." I said helpfully.

"No, he knows."

"But how are you sure?"

"There's a point when you've gotten close enough to a person that you can start to read their eyes, and I could read the confusion in his, the fear."

"Close?" Bel got up in my face, studying it like how a palm reader might a hand.

"Intimate."

Belphegor chuckled, "Oh."

"Well don't worry I'm sure once he's gotten over the trauma of the experience he'll come to you and-"

"He's afraid of me!" Byakuran yelled, slamming his head into the car horn. A string of car beeps answered him. If it had be Squalo driving I was sure he would have gotten out of the car, waving his sword around, threatening anyone who had honked at him.

It was awkward for a moment but I asked, "Does he know about your power?"

"No."

"Tell him." "But I-"

"If what you say is true then you have nothing to lose." I said, making a good point if I do say so myself. "Just tell him."

The older man sighed.

"Do it."

"Fine Frannie, you win, I'll tell him the first chance I get."

"Good." I said, "Now have you tried having any visions since?"

"Yes."

"And?"

"I keep getting the same image, nothing has changed." Byakuran shook his head mystified, "It seems this future is set in stone, and that nothing can change it."

I was too scared to ask. I think he could sense that because he told me it, "It shows us all in a school room together."

"Us?"

"A lot of the teachers, your friends, you, Belphegor, me, Fon… a lot of us. The only other thing I can tell you is it's at nighttime because outside the window the sky is dark."

"What are we doing at the school?" I asked feeling nervous.

"Some of us are holding brooms."

"We're cleaning?" I asked skeptically.

"Possibly."

"At school cleaning…" I mumbled.

"This weekend?"

I turned to Belphegor, "What did you say?"

"This Sunday Byakuran was going to make kids clean up the school."

"You're right! I hadn't even thought about it." Byakuran paused, "But I've been having this vision since before I decided that… Maybe there really is nothing we can do to stop it from happening. It's not like it was a bad vision but still it worries me."

"Yeah, no kidding." I laughed dryly.

"Well today is Tuesday so that gives us five days, including this one, to find some more answers. Though I suppose we don't have all of the fifth day either, so maybe it's more like 3 and a half not including today."

"Great." I sighed. I don't think I was mentally prepared yet to face what was to come. Whatever the hell it is.

I caught myself gazing out the window, thinking.

"So Byakuran," I began softly, "What are these parallel worlds like?"

"I'm afraid I can't tell you. It's better not to share that kind of information."

"I figured as much."

"Though I must say." Byakuran smiled and I could see his shiny teeth reflected off the front windshield, "It's ironic that you hate frogs."

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note- **Well I do feel bad that this entire chapter was a conversation. It's not normally something I would do (I don't think), but it was necessary. Also sorry it was short, but I felt it needed to be in its own chapter.

SO! Byakuran can see parallel worlds in my story, did you all see that coming? Cause I sure didn't. No really. I had no clue. Maybe Byakuran did. Who knows? I must say though that I loved that about him in the manga so I was happy to incorporate it into my story.

And yes, Byakuran was talking about Katekyo Hitman! Reborn when he was mentioning the parallel worlds. I just couldn't resist!

Thanks for reading and reviewing! I'll see you all in the next chapter which I'll work on this weekend if my homework hasn't killed me first~


	17. Friends are just Stalkers who Care

**Warning: **Some may find some of the following events and descriptions to be creepy, freaky, or just outright scary. It's not that bad but I recommend the faint of heart to read it during the day and with a fuzzy companion.

Friends are just Stalkers who Care 

"So you can see the future?"

"I see parallel words, thus I can potentially see all possible futures, so in a way yes. However the future of our world can be uncertain and nothing is definite until it happens."

"I see," I nodded my head, "How confusing."

"Hey Byakuran, why is it taking so long to get to school?"

"Good question." I said though I wasn't in any hurry to spend hours sitting in a chair listening to topics I didn't care much for, not to mention the bombardment of homework at the end of the day…

"Well Belphegor we're not going to school. We're going to the Science Center to ask about that object. Frannie, you have it with you, don't you?" "Yeah. It's in my backpack in the trunk."

"Good."

I recalled how Dino had mentioned a trip to the center but Hibari had shot the idea down, "So you're making us skip school."

"Well you would have already missed your first class… So what's a few more?" That was coming from the principle himself.

"Hibari is going to be mad."

"What Hibari doesn't know wont hurt him." Byakuran said confidently. I suppose he wasn't afraid of getting on the teen's bad side.

"No but it might hurt us."

"What was that?"

"Nothing."

"Anyways," The older man said soberly, "It's not like we have all the time in the world to visit the place."

He had a point.

I hadn't noticed the scene through my window change but sure enough we were heading in the same direction. I was so excited the first time, well as excited as I was going to get, and now I only felt tired. I would be happy when this was all over and when everything would go back to normal. Whatever that was. My eyes felt heavy and so I closed them. A nap wouldn't kill me.

-6-6-6-

"Frannie wake up, we're here!" Byakuran said as he stepped out of the car.

I rubbed my eyes. So we were. I unbuckled my seatbelt and joined him and Bel outside. The sky overhead was clear and the ocean of blue above me made me feel envious of the birds who got to fly in it. However when I stopped staring up and went to take a step I noticed some interesting things. One was that my shoe laces were tied together, most likely the compliments of Bel. The second thing I noticed when I face planted the ground; the ground was a rusty red color, like the dirt in Australia, only darker.

"Need a hand?" Bel asked while stifling his laughter at the practical joke.

I forced a smile, "No thank you, I rather enjoy eating dirt."

He helped me up anyways but left me to undo the messy knot he had made of my shoe laces. Jerk. While I was fiddling with the strings I noticed the third strange thing, Byakuran hadn't said anything. When I was finished I stood and called out, "Hey Byakuran…"

I saw his hair out of the corner of my eye and turned around to address him properly.

"It's gone." I gasped.

"It would appear so." Byakuran agreed.

Now that I thought about it… the parking lot to the Science Center wasn't dirt but pavement. I looked down at the ground. It was like the entire place had been ripped off the face of the Earth. I mean everything was literally gone. There were no buildings and not even the foundation remained. That mammoth sized monstrosity of a building had pulled a Houdini!

"What do you suppose did this?" Belphegor asked.

"What could do this?" Byakuran asked and under the circumstances the rhetorical question made me feel uneasy.

Nothing besides frick'n magic.

Byakuran added quietly as if almost to himself, "I don't know of any machinery that can do a job like this so quickly."

"I didn't mean the building. I meant _this_." Belphegor's finger pointed off to the side where the downward slope of the parking lot met up with the surrounding foliage.

I hesitantly walked over to him to get a better look at what he was asking about. What I saw stripped away the last of my innocence and would surely haunt me for the rest of my life.

There were bodies.

Lots of them.

Completely naked the corpses formed a human knot of arms and legs making it hard to distinguish what was what. Their skin was grey and dried out, like prunes, but just from looking at there faces I could tell that they weren't old enough to have a plethora of wrinkles like that. At least not all of them. Different faces told different stories. Several of the scientists' mouths were left wide open as if calling out for mercy even in death, their contorted features illustrated the pure horror they must have gone through in their final moments. Others looked surprised and then there was the rare peaceful expression.

I could hear the flies feasting. They made a constant buzzing sound that made me have to question if there had ever been life without it always in the background hanging over all of us like a foreboding shadow. I felt my body grow cold as I stared at the gruesome sight unable to look away nor even blink. The stench of decay hovered over the pile of bodies like a cloud and it made the air almost too thick to breath. I didn't want to breath through my nose because it smelled something awful but inhaling through my mouth was worse because I could _taste _it. Death.

What could have done this? Vampires who sucked all the blood out of their victims?

"UMAs."

"AH!" I jumped out of my skin at the sudden voice near my ear. I spun around and somehow lost my balance. I felt myself falling backwards towards the pile of carcasses.

"Whoa!" A hand reached out, stopping my decent. I looked up and realized that there were two hands. Belphegor had wrapped his fingers around my right arm and I could feel him already trying to pull me up. The other hand appeared to belong to Hayato who had grabbed my other hand.

"Sorry Fran, I didn't mean to scare you like that."

"Whatever," I felt my feet slipping on the loose dirt. "Just don't let go."

"Never." Both boys said simultaneously.

They helped me up and once both of my feet were on even ground I got away from the edge.

"You okay?" Hayato asked though he didn't appear to be too concerned. Now if I had been Tsuna he would have already rushed me to a hospital or something.

I nodded slowly. I must have been so absorbed in the shock of seeing so many dead people that I hadn't even heard him arrive. He appeared to be alone and not too far away I saw a bike parked in the dirt. The red dirt…

Oh God!

"Whoa you don't look too good there." Hayato said just as Bel steadied me.

"What are you doing here?" My prince questioned him as if he had read my thoughts.

"Tsuna asked me to help look for you this morning after you didn't show up for first period. I asked around and this is the place Dino said you would most likely be." Hayato explained in a matter of fact way. Forget the fact that he had to do a lot of pedaling on his bike to get here, what I wanted to know was if he planned on dragging me back on that thing.

Hayato glanced over at the pile of dead bodies. He seemed un-phased like Belphegor and Byakuran. Were they that unemotional, had they seen this kind of thing before, or were they just keeping a calm façade?

"Look, there's some strange shit going on around here, and I think it would be best if we head back to school." Hayato said as he ran a hand through his silver hair. I noticed he was avoiding eye contact and decided that maybe the whole thing disturbed him after all.

"Hm, I suppose you're right." Byakuran said, he still wore a smile but I could tell it was forced now more than ever, "No use in sticking around now that the Science Center is completely gone and the staff… gone as well."

"We'll need to report it." Hayato said off handedly as he went for his bike.

"I have something in my trunk we could use to tied that to my car if you wouldn't mind riding back with us." Byakuran offered.

"Yeah, okay."

-6-6-6-

We got to the school sometime in the middle of lunch, don't ask me how that happened but I think Byakuran was 10 or 20 miles over the legal speed limit. We had just found the gang outside when it happened. I was ambushed.

"I'm so sorry Fran!" Kyoko gushed before I was swarmed by warm bodies and boobs, seriously, all the girls squished me in a huge hug. If I had been straight I would have been in heaven. They all said their condolences and that they would pray for my father to get better. The guys just kind of stood off to the side awkwardly waiting for it to be over like me.

"I'm touched, thank you." I said as I wiggled, more like climbed, out of their embrace.

After I was able to breath for a good minute Tsuna came over and handed me a basket, "Uh my mom somehow heard about the accident. She wants you to know if you need anything then just ask. She even said you can stay over at my house if you needed a place to stay."

"I'll have to thank her then." They were both so sweet. I would stay with him gladly if I wasn't being chased by Patty and the like. I didn't want to drag him and his family into my mess. "So what's in here?"

"Oh the basket?" He blushed, "Uh they're some stuff mom thought you might need. There's chocolate chip cookies in there too which I helped her bake."

I ruffled his hair. He was such a good kid! I wouldn't have minded having him as a younger brother, I mean even though we are the same age. He was just so… innocent.

I looked around, "It seems almost as if the gang's all here, but where is Ryohei?"

"Oh lawn-head?" Hayato asked, "It was his job to search for you around the east wing of the school. Is he not back yet?"

"He said he had something to do after we couldn't find Fran." Tsuna smiled at Hayato. "But I see you found him and brought him back. Thank you!"

"Sure no problem tenth!" Hayato saluted and beamed at the praise.

"There you go with that nickname again." Tsuna laughed.

"So why were you guys looking for Fran?" Bel finally spoke up. He wasn't the type to stand quietly in the background for long.

"We were worried about him, we're friends after all." Chrome said, smiling shyly from behind her bangs while the rest of her group remained indifferent. Haru nodded vigorously in agreement with Chrome's statement.

Hana sized Bel up before asking, "Why, is that a problem? Don't want us hanging out with _your _boy toy? Well too bad and suck it up!"

"And friends look after friends." Tsuan agreed tactfully, ignoring what Hana said, and silently praying that Belphegor did the same.

"Way to sound like Tea from Yu-Gi-Oh!," Lambo commented to the brunette.

"Shut up idiot cow." Hayato elbowed the teen in the side which immediately produced tears from the other, "The Tenth can say whatever he wants to and he sounds cool saying it. Got it?"

"Yeah, yeah."

While they were squabbling I looked into the basket and immediately saw the cookies because they were on top. I pulled them out and offered one to Bel.

"I'm not your taste tester."

"Fine, see if I offer you another cookie ever again."

"No, what I meant is that if you're checking for poison I'm immune to most kinds and would be of no help in telling whether or not it would be lethal to you." He said before he snatched the cookie out of my hand and took a bite of it.

I grabbed another one and ate it. They weren't half bad. Once I finished it I looked down at the other contents of the basket. There was a toothbrush, a package of socks, and a piece of paper listing their home phone number. Also inside was-

…

What the fuck?

…

"Um Tsuna?"

"Hm?"

"Does your mom think I'm a girl?" I deadpanned.

"No, uh, she shouldn't. Why?"

I held up a box of tampons.

-6-6-6-

School was over for the day. I had to wait until Byakuran was done with work before heading home so I decided to wait outside in the fresh air. Most of the kids had left though there were still a few stragglers like Hibari who patrolled the school after hours. I called the hospital earlier to check in on Dad and they reported that there had been no change.

"Waiting for the principle?" Tsuna asked. Hayato was only a step behind him.

"So the rumors were true?" Hayato laughed, "I feel bad for you. He's sort of a nut!"

Pot calling the kettle black.

"I have to get going." Tsuna said apologetically as he waved goodbye and ran off. I think he was still embarrassed about earlier.

"Hey wait for me!" Hayato called but before he could follow the brunette I grabbed his arm. He looked back at me surprised. "Fran?"

"Earlier at the Science Center you surprised me when you said UMAs. What did you mean by that? In fact, what the hell are they?"

"Unidentified mysterious animals." Hayato's eyes sparkled with excitement. "That's what all this is about. The reason the Science Center was gone, and those people…"

I held up a hand, "Wait a minute I'm still back on page UMAs."

He blinked at me, "What's not to get?"

"Are they like UFOs?"

"…"

"So anyways…" I coughed lightly into my hand and assumed the two were the same, "You really think aliens could do that to a human body?"

"Why not?" He shrugged.

Well he had a point. I asked, "So you're really into this kind of stuff?"

"You know I am!"

"Right…" I pulled the mysterious object out from my pocket. I put it in there before we had gone inside the school earlier. "Think you could identify this?"

Hayato's eyes shined brightly. He carefully took the object from me. It was still glowing though it wasn't as obvious in the daylight. He turned it over carefully as his fingers brushed against its surface.

"Well?" I asked.

"Not a clue."

Oh well, it was worth a shot.

"I must say though this is not from a satellite." He said after looking at the dinky tag. He sounded confident. "Space programs have serial numbers on all their stuff, and this is label free."

"I hadn't noticed." I said, leaning in for a closer look.

"Sorry I couldn't be of more help." Hayato said, handing it back. "If I were you I would ask Spanner about it."

Damn he's good. I hadn't thought about Spanner.

"Well see ya later Fran!" He said before running off, most likely to catch up to Tsuna.

"Spanner huh?" There Hayato went making sense.

I had to hurry before the abnormal teacher, then again name one that wasn't, left the school. I couldn't afford to wait another day. I ran straight to his room chancing an encounter with the discipline committee. I didn't know what the punishment would be for running in the halls, but knowing Hibari it wouldn't be pleasant.

The lights were still on when I got there which was a good sign. I tried to open the door but it was locked. Did I miss him? Had he already gone home?

"Crap."

"Did you need something?"

I looked over my shoulder to find Spanner standing there with a pile of papers tucked under his arm. I told him, "I wanted to talk to you."

"Want a sucker?"

"…no."

-6-6-6-

"So what do you think it is?"

"I'm not sure. I'll have to run some tests on it. Can I keep it over night?"

I hesitated. If that's what those creeps were after then that could put Spanner in danger, but then again how would they find out? Would one night hurt? "I may not always act like it but I am a grown man and I know how to take care of myself." Spanner said as if reading my mind.

Would people please quit doing that! My mind is my own and it's the last place I want people snooping.

I had my doubts about some of his statement but I needed answers, "Okay, one night."

"I'll get to work on it then." He said, already engrossed in the new project. I could tell by his eyes that he was eager. It was like he was about to open his Christmas present and finally unravel the mystery of what was inside. Hopefully that would be the case with the object. The unraveled mystery part that is. I got up to leave and just as I was stepping out I called back, "Be careful."

"I will." He sounded like he was in a trace.

Should I worry?

-6-6-6-

I was bored walking the halls and Belphegor had left with his house mates awhile ago. He said he had some important stuff to do and that he would touch base with me tomorrow. Squalo had apologized to me earlier for not being around when we needed him, but he hadn't sounded like he meant it. Lussuria had cried on my shoulder for like 20 minutes and now some freaky rumors are going around that we were dating and that I broke up with him. Let's just say he felt very sorry for listening to heavy metal when he should have been babysitting. Not that I need a sitter.

I was curious as to what was taking Byakuran so long so I headed over to his office. It seemed like the receptionist had already gone home so I let myself in. There were about four rooms connected to the front office. I located Byakuran's room and was about to knock on his door when I heard noises from the other side. I was worried he might have fallen, but I thought I heard voices, and instead of opening the door to check on him I placed my ear to it.

"So does this mean you don't think I'm a monster?"

An out of breath sounding Fon replied, "I would never."

"But you were so distant."

"It's not all your fault. I was sad that you wouldn't tell me… and I felt ashamed for keeping secrets from you too."

"Secrets huh?" Byakuran's voice turned sultry and his words ran off his tongue like silk, "I guess I'll have to make you talk."

"Ahh! Byakuran!"

I backed away from the door. I don't think I was mistaken this time. They were definitely doing…

My face turned red and I decided to wait outside.

_To be continued…_

**Author's Note- **Thanks again to everyone who reminded me of UMAs. I had completely forgotten. ^^

No worries for fellow fans of ByakuranxFon because you'll see all that good stuff in the deleted love scenes at the end of the official story (the ones I've promised you all if you've forgotten). ;) Cause I refuse to leave it out but I also refuse to make Fran a voyeur more than he already is. xD

I wanted to say this, but the humor seemed inappropriate:

I walked over to him to get a better look at what he was asking about. What I saw stripped away the last of my innocence and would surely haunt me the rest of my life; unless, of course I saw Levi naked, because that would be far worse and more traumatizing.

Oh yeah… Happy Halloween! :D


	18. Marshmallow Nightmare

Marshmallow Nightmare

"Sorry for making you wait." Byakuran apologized when he found me sitting outside the school building. I had been waiting for so long that the sun had already painted the sky a beautiful red.

I used all my willpower to suppress the mental images that had popped up from earlier as I told him, "Don't worry about it."

He tilted his head to the side, his ear up in the air, as if listening to the wind. He smiled knowingly and with a coy smile called out, "Thanks for your services but it's okay to go home now."

I looked around the vacant grounds. The school was dark on the other side of the windows as if the building was patiently waiting for the next day. It was still light but already the outside lamps were on in preparation for the coming darkness. Fon had left a few minutes earlier. When he had rolled out I could tell that we both felt a little awkward. I don't think he knew I knew but his face showed that he hadn't fully recovered from the experience yet, and I think that made him feel self-conscious. After Fon there hadn't been anyone else and besides Byakuran and I there was no one else around now.

There was a slight rustle from the shrubbery along the school wall and a Namimori Middle School uniform popped up like the classic jack-in-the-box. I was startled at first but not as much when I saw that it was Hibari who was lurking about and not the creepers.

Byakuran offered a small wave, "I've got it from here so goodnight Hibari."

"Che," Hibari walked away, his back to us, mumbling something about weaklings being burdensome.

I had gone through too much to question it and so I quietly got into Byakuran's car. It was a silent trip and one that I was thankful for. Byakuran seemed to understand and respected my need for a moment of quiet. It wasn't that I wanted to think, while waiting I had plenty of time for that, it's just that I didn't want to talk.

We pulled up in front of an odd looking building. It was made from cement, making it grey, and was bigger on top which reminded me of a mushroom. All the windows were different sizes and shapes. There was a large star, a few square ones, and at least a dozen circles.

We got out of the car and my feet were greeted by a carpet of rich green grass. Upon a closer inspection I found that there were no sprinklers in the yard.

"Nice grass,"

"Oh you like?" Byakuran glanced at the ground as he pulled my stuff out of the trunk. "I water it myself."

"Do you have a garden?" Dad loved our garden, which reminded me that I needed to water it while he was…

"No, but I find the menial task to be relaxing."

I looked around but I saw no hose, "What do you water it with?"

"This!" With his free hand Byakuran proudly held up a purple daisy watering can. After a moment he smiled shyly and sat it down near the door, "Enough of that though let me show you inside."

I have to admit I hadn't been expecting it. Then again there was a lot I hadn't been expecting like me actually liking the new town we moved to.

Byakuran's home was very…

Sophisticated.

I had been expecting something childish as his mushroom house and watering can led me to believe. I figured the place would look like Takashi Murakami's Tonton Bo Puking had spewed all over the place but in reality it was much more high-class. The walls were a nice beige, the carpet was a dark lavender, and all the woodwork was sandalwood if the yellow color and smell was anything to go by. His furniture was tactfully placed around a round Persian rug that was elaborate in design. The back wall of his living room was covered in bookshelves. As we passed by I glanced at some of the titles and was impressed by their topics ranging from physics to ancient civilizations.

"I have a guestroom upstairs," Byakuran explained as we climbed the spiral staircase.

While walking down the hall I noticed some wall paintings. Most of them were unrecognizable, but then there were a few that I was sure I had seen before.

Byakuran noticed I wasn't following and looked over at me. He then followed my line of sight, "Do you like it?"

"Yeah,"

"It's called _Water Lilies_, well it's just a print, but the original is by Claude Monet."

I felt myself smile a little, "It's beautiful."

"Monet was part of the impressionist movement along with other great artists like Degas and Renoir. With impressionist artwork you'll find that their paintings are painterly meaning you can actually see the brushstrokes." Byakuran laughed, "The kicker is that he was practically blind when he painted this."

I gave him a strange look.

"What? Did you think Lal Mirch was the only one into art?" He winked at me as he continued down the hall.

He opened up the door at the end of the hallway and sat my bags inside. I peeked through the door at the canopy bed with billows of purple mesh hanging over the frame. This room had three of the circle windows clustered together like escaping bubbles. There were end tables with matching lamps and a full body mirror stood in the corner opposite the closet. Overall it was a nice room.

"This will be your room for as long as you need it. You are free to use the closet which I encourage so that your clothes don't get wrinkled." He looked around, "I don't think there's much to tell you except that there's a bathroom across the hall that you can use. There's another one downstairs which I can show you later."

"Thank you. I appreciate all of what you're doing for me."

"No problem." He smiled, "I'm glad to have you aboard Frannie. In fact once your dad gets better the both of you can come and spend the night whenever you want."

"Right…"

"Are you hungry?" He asked and I nodded my head, "Great! I'll fix dinner right away."

With a wave and a twirl he was gone. I poked my head out the door and watched as his white hair bobbed down the stairs. What an odd man. Even more odd was the lack of oddness in his house. It was so lavish and not at all like Byakuran. Or maybe I just didn't know him as well as I thought I did.

I placed my belongings in their proper places and then followed Byakuran's path to the kitchen.

When I pushed open the door I was greeted with more elegance. The hardwood table was polished to a shine, the feet was carved with spirals, and on top of it was a red tablecloth with a lace trim. There was a golden candelabrum in the center with unlit white candles. There were more paintings but these had gold frames.

I walked into the kitchen, for the two were separated, to find Byakuran pulling out bowls. He turned around and I saw that he was now wearing a grey apron with pockets that had pink nails painted on them and an elephant hat instead of a chef's.

"…"

"Oh hello,"

"…"

"Do you like my apron? Believe it or not Reborn made it for me for Christmas last year."

"Reborn gave you a present?" Now that was hard to believe. The English teacher was nice, enough, but he didn't seem the type to humor the principal. Or the type to make something so silly that seemed more up Haru's alley.

Byakuran glanced away, "Well it was a secret Santa thing."

I felt bad for questioning it, "Well that was very sweet of him to make that for you. It's… cute."

"Thanks. Fon thinks it makes my head look big but I think he's just jealous that I'm wearing something another man made me."

"Well it does make your head look bigger," I said and Byakuran gave me an icy glare so I quickly added, "Well I mean elephants have huge ears and all."

"Hmm, I never thought about it like that." He reached up and touched one of the floppy appendages. "Anyways if you were wanting dinner it's not ready yet, but I'll call you when it is."

"Kay."

I walked back up and opened the door to my room, or what I thought was my room, but I must have opened Byakuran's bedroom door instead.

Oh my God…

I slowly closed the door.

-6-6-6-

"Go on. Dig in." Byakuran encouraged me as he ate a bite himself.

I looked up from my plate and gave him a dubious look. I looked back down at the plate. We were having a traditional Japanese dinner of miso soup with cooked salmon. It smelled delicious and the fish was cooked perfectly. Everything looked yummy.

"Sorry. I guess I'm too used to my dad's cooking."

"No need to apologize just eat up."

With a small shrug I grabbed my soup scoop and took a large mouthful… and immediately spit it back into the bowl.

"Frannie are you okay?" Byakuran asked while standing out of his chair to hand me a cloth napkin. I spluttered and reached for it to wipe up the liquid dribbling down my chin.

Once I got myself under control and cleaned up I looked down at the bowl in confusion. I politely told Byakuran, "I hate to tell you this but I think you may have mistaken the sugar for the salt."

"No I didn't."

"But it's sweet." I argued then used my spoon to scoop up one of the tofu's, "I mean it's so sweet that the tofu tastes like pure sugar."

"Oh that's because that's not tofu,"

"What but-" My eyelids lowers, "Wait don't tell me these are marshmallows."

"Okay then I wont." He chirped and kept on eating.

"…"

"Mm it's nice having company over every once and awhile. Fon comes over from time to time but-"

"You put marshmallows in the miso soup. What kind of sick bastard are you?"

"…"

"…"

"Silly Frannie I haven't had a cold in ages." He smiled.

"…" I thought about it for a moment, "Well please tell me the salmon is normal."

"Of course," He nodded his head.

I sighed with relief and picked up a piece of the awaiting dish of fish.

"I coated it with honey to give it just the right flavor."

I dropped my chopsticks onto the table, "I'm out of here."

I headed straight for the door. I felt bad because he had made the meal for me, but there was no way I could eat that.

"But weren't you hungry?" Byakuran called after my retreating form.

"I'll wait for breakfast." I said and never looked back.

-6-6-6-

I was woken up by Byakuran singing in the shower and surprisingly he wasn't half bad. I was able to take my own before getting dressed for school. When entering the dinning room I had this horrible feeling in the pit of my stomach that we would be eating Lucky Charms cereal for breakfast.

"Good morning Frannie I fixed eggs for breakfast so I hope you don't mind." Byakuran's voice came with the sizzle of frying.

Thank god that nightmare hadn't come true. I sat down in the seat I sat in the previously night. When I heard that we would be eating eggs my stomach perked up. Last night I had been so desperate that I ate all of the remaining cookies that Tsuna and his mother made me, and the sad thing was they were less sweet than the soup.

"Here you go," He put the plate down in front of me, "Will you be wanting anything to go on it? Something like ketchup?"

"No thanks."

I was about ready to dig in when I noticed my eggs were lumpy, and then I realized it was an omelet. I really like omelets. I cut a small piece off and stuffed it in my mouth. I was starving at this point. The egg was nice and fluffy. I was really enjoying it until I tasted something off about it. I glanced down at my plate and for the first time saw the white chunk popping out of the yellow.

"What's wrong Frannie?"

"I just remembered that I have to go to school early." I said already getting up. It was the second time I would be escaping the table and one of Byakuran's meals.

"Before you go here's your lunch!" Byakuran grabbed a paper sack and forced it into my hands. "I made it myself."

I had been afraid of that.

"Are you going to walk to school?" He asked me.

"Yeah."

"Okay I'll see you at school then."

It was a good thing that he didn't live too far from the school because I was running on empty. By the time I got to school my stomach was sounding like a rabid dog and I felt like a zombie.

"Good morning Fran. You're here awfully early." Fon greeted me. It took me a minute to figure out what was off about him, but then I realized that he was standing on his feet. As I looked him up and down I was impressed by how well his posture was.

"Your leg!" I gasped.

"Mostly all better." He smiled, "I went to the hospital last night."

"That's great news." I really meant it. I didn't like seeing Fon hurt like that.

There was an awkward moment of silence before Fon said, "I-pin isn't here yet, but have you seen Kyoya?"

"No… not since last night."

"But I thought he was-" Fon began with a puzzled expression.

Just then Hibari appeared, speak of the devil, and strolled into the school without a glance towards us.

"Ah there he is." Fon clasped his hands together then quickly changed the topic, "More importantly how are you doing?"

I frowned.

"I understand and thought this might happen." Fon pulled out a paper bag from behind his back, "Byakuran has a sweet tooth that doesn't agree with most people's flavor palate. I've become used to his abnormal taste buds but I figured you might need this."

I grabbed the bag and looked inside. Normal food!

"I love you."

He laughed, "Just don't tell Byakuran about the hamburger because it might hurt his feelings."

"I wont." I swore as I took in the greasy aroma. Then I remembered that this would probably be the only food I would get all day and all my excitement melted away.

Fon chuckled, "Byakuran wanted to celebrate me getting out of the wheelchair so tonight we're eating out."

"Did I mention I love you and your legs?" I asked.

"Well I was fortunate that it wasn't as bad as the doctors first thought. Oh and there's one thing I should warn you about," His expression was serious, "Never go into Byakuran's room because-"

My face contorted.

He stopped himself and grimaced, "You already did didn't you?"

I looked away, "…yeah."

"Sorry."

"It's not your fault."

"No, but still…" He rubbed his arm, "Do you need to talk about it?"

"I'll live."

"You're a good kid."

"I know."

_To be continued… _

**Author's Note**- Ah poor Fran… And yay Fon is all better! :D Or is he? Dun dun dun. Byakuran is so cool. ^^ I would love to live in his house.


End file.
